Wall Squat Progression

Ever have that annoying knee pain when you do your favorite lower body exercise in the gym?

If so, your knees will thank you when you add isometric drills into your warmups.

One way to make your knees "tougher" is to train them to tolerate more stress.

Our patients with knee pain start with isometric exercises. Isometric means that the muscles are working but the body is not moving. These drills are less stressful to knees than traditional exercises and a great place to start!

This video shows a progression through 3 different variations of a wall squat. Start with your feet about 1 foot length from the wall and slowly move them closer to the wall as you improve. You should spend 1-2 weeks on each exercise variation before moving onto the next one!

If you feel that you are ready for the final progression, attempt to shift your weight to one leg and lift the opposite foot.

Do not move onto the next exercise progression until you can perform 3 sets of 20 second holds (in the bottom position of the squat) for 3 consecutive days without any symptoms.