Squatting deep is bad for your knees. You’ve heard that before and it’s true. Squatting deep is bad for your knees if you don’t Squat with proper technique. Read more: http://stronglifts.com/10-tips-to-stop-your-knees-from-popping-and-cracking/
The truth is that Squats are a good indicator of health. If your knees hurt
you’re Squatting incorrectly or something prevents you to Squat correctly. Here
are 10 tips to stop your knees from popping and cracking.
Read more: http://stronglifts.com/10-tips-to-stop-your-knees-from-popping-and-cracking/
1. Strengthen Your Knees. Your knee joint is made for stability. Strengthening your leg muscles “” quadriceps, but especially hamstrings & glutes “” increases the stability of your knee joint by adding support. Squatting below parallel is the best exercise for overall leg strength. Start with an empty bar, focus on Squat technique, add weight each workout. After 2-3 months Squatting with good technique your knees will feel better.
2. Squat Correctly. The length of your legs & torso influences the knee position on Squats. Your knees may or may not come over your toes depending on your built. Knee position is therefore irrelevant. What matters:
Many other weight lifting exercises can cause knee pain. The Push Press for example can hurt your knees if you dip on your toes. Read the articles on exercise technique and get Starting Strength.
3. Warm-up. Warm-ups lubricate your joints, raise the temperature of your body, let you practice technique, etc. Do some dynamic stretching. Start each exercise with an empty bar. Read how to do proper warm-ups.
4. Improve Hip Mobility. Your knees are designed for stability. Your hips are designed for mobility. Lack of hip mobility forces your knees to compensate & causes technique problems. Read how to improve your hip mobility.
5. Improve Ankle Moblity. Same story as for the hips. Lack of ankle mobility forces your knees to compensate, causing knee pain. Tight calves can cause posterior knee pain. Improve your ankle mobility.
6. Glute Activation. Tight hip flexors “” lack of hip mobility “” are linked to dormant glutes. Weak glutes lead to several problems on the Squat: heels coming off the floor, knees buckling in, etc. Work on glute activation.
7. Soft Tissue Work. Popping knees is evidence of trigger points causing joint stress. You can remove the knots through soft tissue therapy using a tennis ball or foam roller. Lauren wrote a guide on soft tissue work using a tennis ball. Trigger points in your peroneals can cause knee pain. Massage them using a tennis ball. Massage all your leg muscles while you’re at it. I recommend the trigger therapy handbook for a definitive guide on soft tissue work.
8. Learn to Jump. Landing with straight knees forces your joints to absorb force. This is bad for your knees, but also for your lower back, hips, ankles, … The correct way is landing into a Half Squat. This way your muscles & tendons absorb the force, not your joints. This is for any kind of jumping: basketball, plyometrics, Power Cleans, etc.
9. Eat Healthy. You are what you eat. Healthy nutrition improves the quality of your skin, digestion, joints, …
10. Stop Doing What Hurts. Watch out with leg extensions, straight-legged deadlifts, hamstring/adductor static stretches with locked knees, etc. All put pressure on your knee joints.
Avoid. More on Knee Health. I didn’t include knee sleeves or supplements. Improving technique, mobility and posterior chain strength will solve most knee problems. Check out Bullet Proof Knees if you want a resource on eliminating knee pain.
Read more: http://stronglifts.com/10-tips-to-stop-your-knees-from-popping-and-cracking/
http://drlwilson.com/articles/SPINAL%20TWIST.htm
The following exercises or maneuvers are a central part of a nutritional balancing program. They fit our criteria for a type of therapy that is simple, inexpensive, harmless if done correctly, and very effective and powerful. Their purpose is to keep your spine limber, flexible, and perfectly aligned at all times. They can make a tremendous difference in the way you feel and the way your body functions. I believe everyone should do these maneuvers at least once daily or even twice – morning and evening – or more, if needed. They have helped keep my spine aligned for years. In fact, they can do even more than this, as discussed in some of the paragraphs below. [copyrighted - go to website]