Doing a few simple knee strengthening exercises can go a long way to making your knees stronger therefore enabling you to get fitter, quicker.

This first exercise is really good for those who suffer from conditions such as chondromalacia patella. This is an inflammation of the cartlidge beneath the patella ‘knee cap’.  This sometimes results because the bones and muscles on the knee are out of alignment.

Sit in a chair, back straight but not tensed. Your leg should be bent at 90 degrees, the thigh parallel to the ground, the lower leg vertical. Tense the thigh, hold for 5 seconds then release. Switch legs and repeat. Do 10 reps for each leg. Easy, huh!

It is very important to remember to breath whilst doing these exercises.

The second exercise is a little more tricky but it does help build up the strength in your knee.

Again make sure you are sitting comfortably, cross your legs at the ankles.  The push your crossed legs forward with the back leg, then push your legs back to being folded with the front leg.  (This may seem a little tricky at first but once you get the hang of it it is really easy but effective!)

Change over by reversing the direction of the cross.  If your left leg was in front, move it to the back and but your right leg in front.  Do ten reps for each leg in each position.

How To Get Those Calves Working

Would you like to move onto to something a little more challenging?

If your balance is not all that great it may be a good idea to do the following exercise whilst standing on a may, carpet or at least a wooden floor.  Try to avoid do the exercises on a metal or concrete floor.

Stand up straight, heels together, toes slightly apart. Make sure you are well-balanced.

Lift you heels so that your a standing on the balls of your feet.  Be sure to keep your balance!  Hold this position for around 5 seconds.  It may help to imagine an invisible piece of string attached to the top of your head pulling you up. Repeat this lifting ten times.  As you get stronger and build up the strength in your legs you will be able to increase the length of time you can hold the stance.

To change this exercise a little try bending your knees a little once you have raised your heels and are standing on the balls of your feet.  This will also work your bottom as well as your hamstrings and quads.  Again hold for 5 seconds then straighten your legs and lower your heels.  Repeat for 10 reps.

I am sure you are aware of how important it is to have strong, healthy knees when carrying out any type of fitness routine.  Doing these easy knee strengthening exercises regularly will really improve the state of your knees and help you increase your fitness levels even further.

For more details of the best leg exercises to help build strong, sexy legs and other fitness tips to get into shape quickly take a look at my blog.