Altering the phrase: Is squatting detrimental to your knees? A fitness trainer suggests these alternative exercises as an alternative
Personal trainer Stacey Roberts, known as Fitness_momness on Instagram, has created a 20-minute home workout to strengthen the lower body without putting pressure on the knees. This workout aims to build stronger glutes, which can help improve posture, prevent lower back pain, and enhance athletic performance.
The workout consists of three sets of 12 reps, with one minute of rest in between each set. All that is required to get started is a pair of dumbbells. If you have weak gluteal muscles, you may find it harder to walk, run, jump, and lift, all essential functional movements that are indicators of overall health and fitness.
Stacey recommends doing all three sets of a move before moving onto the next. The workout includes alternative moves to squats for building stronger glutes. One such exercise is mini band workouts that target the glutes and legs in a knee-friendly way. These can be performed seated or lying down to avoid knee strain.
Another exercise is lateral walking or side-stepping with small steps. Optionally, you can use a resistance band placed above the knees to increase glute activation while maintaining knee safety. Single-leg hip thrusters, a variant mentioned in the context, focus on glutes and hamstrings with minimal knee involvement.
These exercises provide effective glute strengthening while reducing or eliminating knee pressure, making them suitable alternatives to squats for individuals with knee discomfort or sensitivity. The recommendation for mini-band exercises comes directly from Stacey Roberts' Instagram guidance for knee-friendly glute workouts.
Having stronger glutes is beneficial for better hip extension and other pelvic, hip, and core movements. The glutes are essential for forward propulsion during walking and running, as well as acceleration, jumping, and heavy lifting. Prioritizing glute-building exercises can lower the chance of developing knee issues.
Stacey publishes free daily home workouts for her 952,000 Instagram followers and has a Fitness Momness app for on-demand exercise classes. The three gluteal muscles in the butt help maintain body uprightness, move forward and back, and support pelvic alignment. The glutes can help distribute load through the lower body, assist with posture, and, when in good condition, aid in reducing back and hip pain.
- Stacey Roberts recommends mini band workouts as a knee-friendly alternative to squats for her 20-minute lower body workout, which is part of the fitness-and-exercise routine she shares on her Health-and-Wellness Instagram account, Fitness_momness.
- These home workouts, such as the one provided by Stacey Roberts, are designed to strengthen the glutes, one of the three muscles in the butt, which play a crucial role in fitness by maintaining body uprightness, moving forward and back, and supporting pelvic alignment.
- Single-leg hip thrusters, an exercise from Stacey's workout, targets the glutes and hamstrings with minimal knee involvement, making it a suitable fitness-and-exercise option for individuals with knee discomfort or sensitivity, enhancing their overall health-and-wellness and fitness.
