Make Stair-Climbing Easy With This One Exercise

Your knees are usually not the problem, even if it feels like they are!

The problem is higher up

Or at least, it usually is.

Specifically, the gluteus medius (one of the butt-muscles) controls leg and pelvis alignment, and without a stable pelvis (for example, in the case of weak glutes), the thigh bone moves out of alignment, also reducing quadriceps efficiency and thus increasing knee joint strain, which is why you feel it there—it’s the end result, not the cause.

So, what’s in order is an exercise to activate and strengthen the gluteus medius (or rather, the glutei medii, if we want to get fancy, as you have one on each side, and unlike many leg muscles, it’s almost impossible to lose one to accident/incident without the same accident/incident also killing you).

How to do it:

• Stand upright with your hands on a stable surface (e.g. a wall) for support
• Shift all your weight onto one leg
• Move your free leg diagonally out and slightly backwards (80% out, 20% back)
• Keep your upper body still and straight throughout
• Hold briefly at the top, then return your leg to the center
• Repeat 10–20 times per leg

It’s best to do the exercise just before using stairs (for activation benefits) and casually throughout the day (for strength build-up benefits).

Note: a slight ache is fine and even good; it means the gluteus medius is activated, which improves knee stability during stair use—even if the muscle feels tired!

If experiencing actual pain though, do stop and consult a local physio.

For more on all of this plus a visual demonstration, enjoy:

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Want to learn more?

You might also like:

How To Make Downhill Walking Easier On The Knees ← several important things, and they work for going down stairs also!

Take care!