Knee Strengthening Exercises For Seniors And The Elderly

Knee strengthening exercises for seniors and the elderly are important for maintaining balance and avoiding falls.

The knee extension exercise below is the easiest of the knee rehab exercises to perform.

The ability to stand easily and fully extend your knee is vital in maintaining your functional independence.

Make sure you fully extend and flex your knee while performing this exercise to gain the most benefit.

As we age our joints begin to loose some of their flexibility and range of motion.

To slow the decline, especially in the knees, try adding a knee exercise like the one below!

Check out my free Video series on balance, strength, flexibility and endurance!

Knee Extensions

Click the play button above for video instructions.

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Click the play button above to listen to audio instructions

Purpose of this exercise

• Strengthening your knees will improve your ability to stand and balance.
• This exercise will improve your available knee range of motion.

How to do it:

Step 1

• Sit in a chair with feet flat on the floor.

Step 2 

• Straighten out your right knee and hold for a few seconds.
• Then straighten out your left knee and hold for a few seconds.
• Repeat 10 times on each leg.

Breathing:

• Exhale during the upward movement phase.
• Inhale during the downward movement phase.

Tips:

• Move slowly without jerking your leg.
• Bring your toes back toward your body to engage the quadriceps more.
• Make sure you use your full range of motion. Do this by bringing your heel fully back as far as comfortable then extending as far as comfortable.

Take it up a notch:

• Add an ankle weight to your ankle. Use 2 to 5 pound weights to start. This will accellerate your strengthening.

Try these other exercises

Watch These Exercise Videos

1. Ankle Circles

• This exercise improves your ankle flexibility and ability to move your ankle upward and downward.
• This is a great warm up exercise for the lower leg and feet.

2. Hip Marching

• This exercise will strengthen your hip flexor and thighs.
• With correct seated posture it will also help your abdominal muscles.

3. Knee Extension

• Strengthening your knees wdith knee strengthening exercises will improve your ability to stand and balance.
• This exercise will improve your available knee range of motion.

4. Calf Raises

• Strenghening your calf muscles with calf exercises will give your more power to step forward on level surfaces or carry you up hills on uneven terrain.
• Helps pump blood up from your legs to your upperbody and brain.

5. Standing Knee Flexion

• These knee exercises strengthens your hamstring muscles.
• Also helps with your standing balance.

6. Side Hip Raise

• Safely strengthens your side hip muscles to help with hip arthritis.
• Helps maintain your lower body endurance to better walk and side step around objects.

7.Sit to Stand

• Excellent hip exercises to maintain your leg and hip strength.
• One of the most important exercises used daily to keep your independence and confidence.

8. Heel Stand

• Strengthens the front part of the lower leg with ankle stretches.
• You will become better able to raise your toes to avoid tripping. 

9. Lunges

• To strengthen your quadriceps and hips with leg toning exercises.
• Improve your ability to get out of a chair and balance.
• Help you with lifting chores around the house.

10. Straight Leg Raise

• To increase your quadricep and hip flexor strength with this leg workout.
• To strengthen your abdominals.
• Allow you to advance your leg during walking with greater ease.

11. Partial Squats

• Increase your hip flexibility, quadricep strength and hip flexor strength.
• Improve your ability to get up from a chair and walk.
• Steady your body for bettter balance and safety.

12. Hip Extension

• This exercise will help with strengthening the hip joint and muscles.
• This will improve the ability to walk and propel  yourself forward or up stairs.

Do you like these exercises? Did you know you can download the exercises along with a 4 week exercise program?.