How to Strengthen Knees - Rehab, Prehab, and Performance

Powerful knees are essential if you want to sprint, leap, and kick with power while preventing injury. This post explores how to strengthen knees, whatever stage you are at currently. I discuss tips for those that have knee pain, those that want to prehab against future issues, and those who want to strengthen their knees to jump super-high and pull off cool stunts.

Getting bulletproof knees starts with hip and ankle stability. This keeps the joints aligned so that the patella can track properly. Band exercises will only get you so far though, which is why I recommend high-repetition bodyweight movements, loaded carries, and running.

Of course, you can't talk about how to strengthen knees without tipping the hat to "Knees Over Toes Guy." This video also takes a look at the ATG split squat, sissy squat, and other scary-looking movements to see how they can actually make your knees tougher and way more explosive.

Enjoy!

[TheKneesovertoesguy]

MUCH LOVE BROTHER! This really means a lot. Hope to be friends with you on this journey.

[Mori-ejlr]

No way this is real. Everything I bring up or think about at a specific time he makes a video for. Absolutely Awesome!

[blinddog]

An old man literally told me this - keep strong legs because you’ll need them to carry you through hard times. It always stuck with me and find motivation when I’m to feeling it.

[danielwatson]

i like to think that its not your garden, and the ppl who actually live in the house let you stay in the little plastic house, and you come out to exercise then just go back inside

[redgontheedge]

I've had a bad right knee since 2014 from a motorcycle crash. 5 years of intense rehab and nothing to show for it. Took matters into my own hands in 2020, a year later I'm back, better, faster and stronger than ever before. More importantly, I'm pain-free, so either you chose the suffering or it slowly creeps up to you. Amazing content, thank you!

[houkongzhuanti]

Being a physiotherapy student in his half-30's, but also a parkour guy with 10+ years of impacts over the knees (and still kickin'!), I totally support EVERY word you said! It's very much needed to spread this knowledge out loud, for too long orthopaedic knee pain has been a major issue because prevention and rehabilitation protocols have literally been the opposite from the movement physiology of this joint! Appreciated very much all the references and how you underline the necessity to study the natural biomechanics of the knees, to find what they "like and should" do in order to be healthy and strong! And as a side note: It blew me away how your running mechanic is getting better and better from when you first started to wear barefoot shoes (another vivo addicted here :) ) Keep it up and hope to meet one day !

[tokiomitohsaka]

Wearing “barefoot” shoes has helped end 15 years of knee pain. Can’t recommend them enough!

[willdavidson]

Your book is by far the single best book on training I own! It even surpasses those hundreds of dollar textbooks we personal trainers have read in my opinion for the general population. You are a force to be reckoned with and I hope one day the world ranks you as one of the greatest and most innovative trainers on the planet! You deserve a spot on the cover of every major men’s fitness magazine out there!

[erwin]

dude, u explain these things like u have a phd in sport sience, props man

[gamergod-vfhx]

Watching this without sound just looks like he's trying to taunt you on how strong his knees and legs are

[KarmasAB]

"How to Strengthen Knees"

Ah, just the video I was looking for.

[seanbarker]

How to strengthen lower back/ rehab/ spine health for your next video helping rebuild me piece by piece 😂👌

[dennissvensson]

Me for the last week searching on YouTube: bullet prof knees, knee strength etc..
Bioneer: I got this, hold my beer..

[robertcasko]

This is an old video, so I doubt you will see this comment.

20 years ago. I ruined my knees jumping out of aircraft in the Infantry. 5 years ago I got a new acl and a plate fixing my broken fibular head.

I've been told for 20 years that my chronic knee pain is just something I will have to learn to live with, as I slowly get less and less fit, less able to do basic tasks.

I needed this video. I needed someone to tell me that I can start small and strengthen the muscles around my knees.

I'm going to start doing laps around my house walking backwards this very night, for the first time having hope I will not end up in a wheel chair by the time I'm 60.

It has been the lack of any hope that has made it so hard for me to keep up any physical effort to keep myself

But, now I have some. Thank you.

[yo-no]

4:15 "Draw me like one of you french girls"

[BeardVsTheWorldUK]

From one low intensity guy to another-you’re on the right track. At the very least you will increase your chances of not hearing from angry viewers, as it’s mich harder to injure yourself training low-key. Great job. Working my way back from knee injuries now, this was wonderful.

[GenXPower]

I never understood why people are so against the "knee past the toe" thing and many power-lifting coaches still teach this nonsense. We bring our knees past our toes in real life all the time, and I train this all the time with the overarching goal of having the largest barbell squat possible. It all ties in. Your videos are excellent and have given me much pause in my own training as a competitive power-lifter.

[NeutroniummAlchemist]

I hurt my right knee a year ago running in "comfy" running shoes, and I've been trying to rehab it ever since. I've been following the advice on this channel to get better shoes, and slowly it's been getting better. I'm going to add some more things that I saw here back in. Oh, and I totally forgot to leave a review on the book! I should go do that today.

[FitAfter]

Thank you for this video. As I am turning 50 in a few months, I have finally started doing strength work. I basically had to retire from running due to knee pain. I have been in endurance sports for 20 years and have logged probably at least 25, 000 miles of running over those years. This year I am running again a little bit, 20-25 miles a week and I attribute this due to the fact that I started strength work. Not just for the legs but generally just heavy lifting. Abductor and adductor work along with squats, deadlifts RDLs and various other general leg strength, more importantly glue strength works have alleviated a lot of the knee issues. By no means is the knee pain gone but it is significantly better.

As i continue to work on the issues I have also started specific quad stretching to lower the knee cap back into place it belongs. This alone has started to eliminate the creaky knees.

[BAMBOOZLEDBADGER]

I've been on a total Kneesovertoesguy binge this last week or so. Really awesome stuff. Super chuffed to see your take on it!