Knees are the shock absorbers of the body, especially especially while skiing. Here are a few good exercises to tone up your knees for ski action.
Knees take a lot of punishment yet are given so little consideration. This winter, before hitting the ski slopes make sure your knees are protected by doing these simple exercises as suggested by WebMD.com and Prevention.com.
Wall Squats: Stand with your back against a wall, feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees, keeping your back and pelvis against the wall. Hold for 5-10 seconds. Don’t bend deeply.
Calf Raises: Stand facing the back of a sturdy chair, other support such as the back of a couch, or a wall bar at the gym. You can also do this on the stairs, holding on to the banister with your heels hanging off the edge of the step. Slowly raise the heels as high as you can, then lower. Do three sets of 10-15.
Hip Abduction: Lie on one side with legs stacked. Bend the bottom leg for support. Straighten the top leg (without locking the knee), and raise it to 45 degrees. Hold for 5 seconds, lower and relax briefly, then repeat 10-15 times. Switch sides and repeat. Vary the exercise by pointing the toe of your upper leg slightly toward the floor as you raise it.
Straight Leg Raises: If your knee’s not at its best, start with an easy strengthening exercise for your quadriceps, the muscles in the front of the thigh. This move puts little to no strain on the knee: Lie on your back, on the floor or another flat surface. Bend one knee and place your foot flat on the floor. Keeping the other leg straight, raise it to the height of the opposite knee. Repeat 10-15 times for three sets.
Hamstring Curls: Lie flat on your stomach. Slowly bring your heels as close to your buttocks as you can, and hold that position. Do three sets of 15. You can also do this exercise standing while holding on to a chair. If this becomes easy, you can add ankle weights, slowly increasing the weight from one to three to five pounds.
Other exercises as suggested by Prevention.com work on surrounding muscles to strengthen the area around the knee.
Partial Squats Stand about 12 inches away from the front of a chair with your feet about hip width apart and your toes forward. Bending at the hips, slowly lower yourself halfway down to the chair. Keep your abs tight, and check that your knees stay behind your toes.
Hamstring Stretch Lie on your back with your left leg flat on the floor. Loop a towel or rope around your right foot and pull your leg as far as comfortable toward your chest, while keeping a slight bend at the knee. Keep your back pressed to the floor throughout the stretch. Hold for 10 to 30 seconds and then release. Repeat three or four times with each leg. Do this stretch five or six times a week.
Step-Ups: Using an aerobic step bench or a staircase, step up onto the step with your right foot. Tap your left foot on the top of the step, and then lower. As you step up, your knee should be directly over your ankle. Repeat with your left foot.
