Knee strengthening exercises for joint mobility

Performing joint mobility has several benefits. With these drills you will restore or maintain range of motion in the joints, which is important for optimal performance. Not only will restrictions in range of movement cause problems such as knee pain, they will also reduce your athletic performance through what’s called the arthrokinetic reflex. I can tell you first hand that after doing joint mobility drills for every part of the body for the first time at the Nature Training seminar in Austria 2011 I felt amazing and proceeded to set a personal record in the towel pull-up.

The second reason why you should do joint mobility drills is to provide the cartilage in the joint with nutrients. The cartilage in our joints depends on movement for its nutrient supply, as there is no network of blood vessels, but only the synovial fluid. So to get nutrients to every part of the joint we have to make sure the whole thing gets used in its full range of motion. That will ensure proper lubrication, so to speak or in other words: “you don’t use it, you lose it”.

Of course there numerous other reasons to perform joint mobility drills. For example you prepare your body for dealing with bad positions in which injuries usually happen by putting yourself in these positions (without application of excessive force of course). You will also train your central nervous system to more efficiently communicate with your muscles, improving the neural pathways and thereby increasing your strength and athletic ability without any increase in muscle mass. Joint mobility exercises are also very beneficial for speeding up recovery after a hard workout (or in general), as they help remove waste products from your system. The list goes on and on.

There are hundreds of joint mobility exercises out there, but we will concentrate on those that focus on the knee. For optimal knee health you also have to take care of joint mobility at the ankle and hip and we will deal with those as well.

Knee circles with a block

This exercise will improve strength and range of motion in the ankle. The ankles are our first point of contact with the ground, which is why they are very important for optimal force transfer through the kinetic chain. Range of motion restrictions will lead to problems upstream (in the knees) and low strength will set you up for injuries like ankle sprains. These injuries will then further restrict range of motion and strength at the ankle, increasing the stress on the knee and you’re chances for injury even further. A vicious circle that has to be broken!

Setup:

  • You need a yoga block, a rolled up towel or something similar (e.g. telephone book …)
  • Stand with your feet hip-width apart
  • Place the block between your knees

Performance:

  • Trace a circle with your knees
  • Try not to move the hips too much (i.e. don’t turn the hip to the side)
  • 5 to 10 repetitions per direction