90% Of People Skip This Essential Exercise—Are You One Of Them?

Single-leg strengthening is essential for joint health at any age (unless you want to bunny-hop up and down the stairs with both feet at once, for example), yet many people overlook it. This neglect often leads to pain, stiffness, and a higher risk of injury.

Dr. Alyssa Kuhn, arthritis specialist, explains how to do it:

On the rise

In this video, different exercise variations—beginner, intermediate, and advanced—are presented to help you build strength at your own pace:

Beginner: start by using a chair, adding a cushion for support if needed. Sit at the edge and position one foot slightly in front of the other in a staggered stance. Stand up and sit down in a controlled manner, allowing the back leg to bear more weight and work harder than the front leg. Do 8–10 repetitions per side and pay attention to whether one side feels weaker. To build strength, incorporate this movement into daily activities, such as standing up from the couch. Master this variation before progressing, to avoid knee injury.

Intermediate: to make the exercise more challenging, you can either use a lower chair, or extend your front foot further out, shifting more weight to your back leg. Only modify one variable at a time to maintain control. Do 8–10 repetitions per side, ensuring proper form. A common mistake is allowing the back knee to move inward, which can cause knee stress. To prevent this, use a mirror to check your form and keep the knee and ankle aligned during movement.

Advanced: when you’re ready, extend your front leg completely with the heel on the ground and toes up, removing its stability and forcing the back leg to work even harder. Maintain controlled movement while keeping your knee and ankle aligned. Repeat the exercise on both sides, focusing extra effort on the weaker leg to build balanced strength.

For more on each of these, plus visual demonstrations, enjoy:

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Want to learn more?

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Take care!