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Knee pain and bodybuilding are common. Knee pain may develop from bodybuilding as a result of injuries from ruptured tendons, meniscal and ACL tears, kneecap pain, and tendinitis. Over time, wear and tear occur from the excessive loads of heavyweights being lifted repetitively, which may result in an early development of knee arthritis or osteoarthritis.
Athletes are notorious for ignoring pain, taking anti-inflammatory medications, ice, and even pain pills to keep training and lifting weights. The effects of heavy squats, leg presses, hack squats, lunges, and leg extensions over time, exert a heavy toll on the knee of the bodybuilder.
Knee Injuries
If you’ve ever slightly misjudged stepping off a sidewalk—you know how easy it is to strain the knee. The issue is, the knee is inherently restrictive. As a hinge joint, it can only flex and extend. It doesn’t allow for the free-range of abduction, circumduction, adduction, and rotation of ball-and-socket joints. This restricted scope of movement means that if someone pushes their knee outside its normal range—accidentally or otherwise—damage occurs. It’s one of the most common injuries in bodybuilding for those people who frequently perform lunge or squat exercises. Poor technique can lead to patellar tendonitis, ACL(anterior cruciate ligament) tears, and bursitis.
For weight trainers and physically active adults, the knee joints endure a wide range of stresses and strains. In sports with twisting movements—such as football, basketball, hockey, and many others—ligaments that bind the complex bones of the knee joint together can be damaged, often severely. Knee injuries, especially to the knee ligaments, are exceedingly common in sporting communities. These injuries can result in pain, swelling, and immobility that can be minor to severe. In knee ligament injuries, damage can range from a sprain or a slight tear to a complete tear in the most serious cases.
Injury can be indicated by a sharp pain felt along the knee joint, just below the kneecap, or on the underside of the thighs.
Most common problems of the knee
Chondromalacia patellae: Softening of the articular cartilage of the patella that is produced by osteoarthritic degeneration. Such cartilage is unsuited for the high compressive loads and frictional forces involved in squatting, and roughening of the underside of the kneecap is common. Tight quads are responsible for 80% of chondromalacia. Other causes include aging, repetitive overuse, and faulty biomechanics due to genetics.
Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS): Exemplified by pain in front of patella, which intensifies during activity. Also, pain during extended sitting, and/or walking up stairs. PFPS is further characterized by crepitus (noise), without instability. PFPS is considered to be a tracking problem of the patella, caused by an imbalance between the medial and lateral quadriceps. The damage to the underside of the patella is not unlike uneven tread wear in a car that needs the tires rotated.
Unstable Knee Joint: Knee suddenly gives out. This is often caused by old injuries which have overstretched the knee ligaments.
Locked Knee: The usual cause of locked knees is a torn meniscus or a loose body within the joint capsule.
Swelling/Tightness: Nearly always indicates an internal injury. See physician immediately.
Crepitus: Noisy knees are no reason for concern, UNLESS accompanied by pain and/or swelling.
Solutions to knee pain
1. Stretch
As with any type of exercise, it’s important to stretch before and after weightlifting to prevent injury, soreness, and joint pain after working out. Decide which muscle group the work out is going to focus on and stretch those muscles in particular for five to 10 minutes before lifting. It’s a smart idea to do static stretches, which involve holding a stretch for 15 to 30 seconds, instead of doing ballistic stretches that can wear on joints.
Gaining flexibility is possible at any age. The biggest secret to achieving this is to perform specific stretches every day. This allows the muscles to relax and unwind. An example of a daily exercise is to do 2-3 sets of 30 seconds stretching with deep, slow, gradual breathing, without jerking. The stretching is done with a bearable pain that reduces as the seconds go by.
Warming up is fundamental to ensure performance and stamina in training. It also limits injuries. For a good warm-up, mobilise your joints with knee rotations, knee bends and extensions or progressive ballistic stretches. For self-massages, the best alternative is to apply the ball, stick or foam roller on the areas most painful to palpation.
2. Warm-up sets
Before diving into reps and sets, a five to 10-minute warm up will get joints prepped, blood pumping, and heart rate up. Start every exercise with a low weight, perform 2-3 sets before adding heavy weights.
Experienced bodybuilders often lift heavy weight for fewer reps, but this technique should only be practice with experience. For an occasional or moderate lifter, it’s better on joints to lower the weight and do more reps – say 10 to 15 repetitions per set to build strength and muscle.
3. Don't Lock-Out Your Knees On Any Leg Exercise!
When performing a leg press or leg extension movement like squats or seated leg press, do not fully lock-out your knees. Locking your knee joint transfers all of the weight from the muscle to the joint. The result is un-needed stress on the knee that can lead to injury. By not fully locking your knees - you will keep the tension on the muscle and you will experience a more intense set at your current weight. If you are unable to complete your set without locking your knees, the weight is too heavy and must be lowered. The only exception to this rule is with seated leg extensions and stiff-legged deadlifts.
4. Don't Neglect Your Hammies And Hips
Because everyone's circumstances and anatomy are different, specific exercise prescriptions should be based on your age, your goals, and your symptoms. It is suggested talking to your doctor or physical therapist to develop an exercise routine that matches your physical capacity.
Common knee-friendly cardio exercises for knee pain include using the elliptical machine, riding a bike, or heading to the pool. You can do a lot of really good exercises unweighted in the pool. Swimming is just the start of what's possible. This is particularly true if a lack of balance or pain while walking prevents you from getting exercise. When you exercise in the pool, you don't have to worry about falling down.
If you're someone who enjoys riding bikes, great! But if you have knee pain, it's probably not a good idea to rely entirely on this one quadriceps-focused exercise for your activity. It is important to have a well-balanced lower-body routine that strengthens your legs from all angles and helps stabilize the knee joint. You should have a balance of knee extensors, flexors, and hip abduction and adduction. All of these muscle groups contribute to a well-functioning knee joint. Most people are quad-dominant and neglect their hamstrings, which can have negative implications for knee health. You need both muscle groups to be as strong as possible.
5. Correct lack of mobility at the ankle or hip
Posture exercises should be performed to strengthen the joints. It is advisable to perform these exercises in front of a professional to avoid the harm of bad positioning.
Big strength movements like squat variations are full-body exercises. However, it's easy to forget that the feet are the only part of your body in contact with the ground as you perform squats—and plenty of other movements. This makes the feet and ankles pivotal regions to build mobility, stability, and function, if you want it to transfer into marquee activities like running and squatting. Put another way, as it's been famously quoted, not even a Ferrari can perform on flat tires.
6. Use proper form
No matter what form of exercise you do, remember that proper form can reduce improper or altered loading, thereby reducing the risk of further injury. If you're not sure what good form is, work with a trainer or physical therapist to get it right.
7. Use Joint Support supplements
Looking for some extra joint support? Fish Oil is a great option for supporting healthy joints as well as supporting heart and brain function. Also, you can supplement with a Glucosamine and Chondroitin complex.
Use this to fulfill your goals in bodybuilding and do not be afraid of training through injury, discomfort, and pain. In the end, the only thing that separates champions from the wannabes is the will to do what your competition will not do.
Athletes are notorious for ignoring pain, taking anti-inflammatory medications, ice, and even pain pills to keep training and lifting weights. The effects of heavy squats, leg presses, hack squats, lunges, and leg extensions over time, exert a heavy toll on the knee of the bodybuilder.
Knee Injuries
If you’ve ever slightly misjudged stepping off a sidewalk—you know how easy it is to strain the knee. The issue is, the knee is inherently restrictive. As a hinge joint, it can only flex and extend. It doesn’t allow for the free-range of abduction, circumduction, adduction, and rotation of ball-and-socket joints. This restricted scope of movement means that if someone pushes their knee outside its normal range—accidentally or otherwise—damage occurs. It’s one of the most common injuries in bodybuilding for those people who frequently perform lunge or squat exercises. Poor technique can lead to patellar tendonitis, ACL(anterior cruciate ligament) tears, and bursitis.
For weight trainers and physically active adults, the knee joints endure a wide range of stresses and strains. In sports with twisting movements—such as football, basketball, hockey, and many others—ligaments that bind the complex bones of the knee joint together can be damaged, often severely. Knee injuries, especially to the knee ligaments, are exceedingly common in sporting communities. These injuries can result in pain, swelling, and immobility that can be minor to severe. In knee ligament injuries, damage can range from a sprain or a slight tear to a complete tear in the most serious cases.
Injury can be indicated by a sharp pain felt along the knee joint, just below the kneecap, or on the underside of the thighs.
Most common problems of the knee
Chondromalacia patellae: Softening of the articular cartilage of the patella that is produced by osteoarthritic degeneration. Such cartilage is unsuited for the high compressive loads and frictional forces involved in squatting, and roughening of the underside of the kneecap is common. Tight quads are responsible for 80% of chondromalacia. Other causes include aging, repetitive overuse, and faulty biomechanics due to genetics.
Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS): Exemplified by pain in front of patella, which intensifies during activity. Also, pain during extended sitting, and/or walking up stairs. PFPS is further characterized by crepitus (noise), without instability. PFPS is considered to be a tracking problem of the patella, caused by an imbalance between the medial and lateral quadriceps. The damage to the underside of the patella is not unlike uneven tread wear in a car that needs the tires rotated.
Unstable Knee Joint: Knee suddenly gives out. This is often caused by old injuries which have overstretched the knee ligaments.
Locked Knee: The usual cause of locked knees is a torn meniscus or a loose body within the joint capsule.
Swelling/Tightness: Nearly always indicates an internal injury. See physician immediately.
Crepitus: Noisy knees are no reason for concern, UNLESS accompanied by pain and/or swelling.
Solutions to knee pain
1. Stretch
As with any type of exercise, it’s important to stretch before and after weightlifting to prevent injury, soreness, and joint pain after working out. Decide which muscle group the work out is going to focus on and stretch those muscles in particular for five to 10 minutes before lifting. It’s a smart idea to do static stretches, which involve holding a stretch for 15 to 30 seconds, instead of doing ballistic stretches that can wear on joints.
Gaining flexibility is possible at any age. The biggest secret to achieving this is to perform specific stretches every day. This allows the muscles to relax and unwind. An example of a daily exercise is to do 2-3 sets of 30 seconds stretching with deep, slow, gradual breathing, without jerking. The stretching is done with a bearable pain that reduces as the seconds go by.
Warming up is fundamental to ensure performance and stamina in training. It also limits injuries. For a good warm-up, mobilise your joints with knee rotations, knee bends and extensions or progressive ballistic stretches. For self-massages, the best alternative is to apply the ball, stick or foam roller on the areas most painful to palpation.
2. Warm-up sets
Before diving into reps and sets, a five to 10-minute warm up will get joints prepped, blood pumping, and heart rate up. Start every exercise with a low weight, perform 2-3 sets before adding heavy weights.
Experienced bodybuilders often lift heavy weight for fewer reps, but this technique should only be practice with experience. For an occasional or moderate lifter, it’s better on joints to lower the weight and do more reps – say 10 to 15 repetitions per set to build strength and muscle.
3. Don't Lock-Out Your Knees On Any Leg Exercise!
When performing a leg press or leg extension movement like squats or seated leg press, do not fully lock-out your knees. Locking your knee joint transfers all of the weight from the muscle to the joint. The result is un-needed stress on the knee that can lead to injury. By not fully locking your knees - you will keep the tension on the muscle and you will experience a more intense set at your current weight. If you are unable to complete your set without locking your knees, the weight is too heavy and must be lowered. The only exception to this rule is with seated leg extensions and stiff-legged deadlifts.
4. Don't Neglect Your Hammies And Hips
Because everyone's circumstances and anatomy are different, specific exercise prescriptions should be based on your age, your goals, and your symptoms. It is suggested talking to your doctor or physical therapist to develop an exercise routine that matches your physical capacity.
Common knee-friendly cardio exercises for knee pain include using the elliptical machine, riding a bike, or heading to the pool. You can do a lot of really good exercises unweighted in the pool. Swimming is just the start of what's possible. This is particularly true if a lack of balance or pain while walking prevents you from getting exercise. When you exercise in the pool, you don't have to worry about falling down.
If you're someone who enjoys riding bikes, great! But if you have knee pain, it's probably not a good idea to rely entirely on this one quadriceps-focused exercise for your activity. It is important to have a well-balanced lower-body routine that strengthens your legs from all angles and helps stabilize the knee joint. You should have a balance of knee extensors, flexors, and hip abduction and adduction. All of these muscle groups contribute to a well-functioning knee joint. Most people are quad-dominant and neglect their hamstrings, which can have negative implications for knee health. You need both muscle groups to be as strong as possible.
5. Correct lack of mobility at the ankle or hip
Posture exercises should be performed to strengthen the joints. It is advisable to perform these exercises in front of a professional to avoid the harm of bad positioning.
Big strength movements like squat variations are full-body exercises. However, it's easy to forget that the feet are the only part of your body in contact with the ground as you perform squats—and plenty of other movements. This makes the feet and ankles pivotal regions to build mobility, stability, and function, if you want it to transfer into marquee activities like running and squatting. Put another way, as it's been famously quoted, not even a Ferrari can perform on flat tires.
6. Use proper form
No matter what form of exercise you do, remember that proper form can reduce improper or altered loading, thereby reducing the risk of further injury. If you're not sure what good form is, work with a trainer or physical therapist to get it right.
7. Use Joint Support supplements
Looking for some extra joint support? Fish Oil is a great option for supporting healthy joints as well as supporting heart and brain function. Also, you can supplement with a Glucosamine and Chondroitin complex.
Conclusion
Developing great legs is hard enough, but when you have an injury to your knees it feels like it is impossible. Thankfully the human body is built for compensation.Use this to fulfill your goals in bodybuilding and do not be afraid of training through injury, discomfort, and pain. In the end, the only thing that separates champions from the wannabes is the will to do what your competition will not do.
