“Bulletproof” Your Knees With This Routine

Knees are the most injury-prone joint in sports (41% of injuries), due to their structural instability compared to the hip (surrounded by strong muscles) and ankle (supported by bones), while also bearing full body weight. For the same reasons, they can become quite a liability as we get older. But, we can improve our odds a lot:

For reliable knees…

While this routine won’t make your knees literally invulnerable (alas), it will increase the strength, resilience, and mobility around the knee joint to facilitate pain-free movement and avoid injuries:

1. Poliquin step-up: targets the vastus medialis oblique (VMO), a key quad muscle for knee stability; done on a 6-inch elevated surface with heel raised, focusing on alignment and pelvic control to correct inner-outer knee strength imbalance.
2. Quad stretch: stretches tight quads that can misalign the kneecap and cause pain; done using a bench while tucking the pelvis to intensify the stretch—hold for 30 seconds, ideally repeating 3 times per leg.
3. Hamstring curls with resistance band: strengthens hamstrings, which stabilize the knee during flexion; resistance band adds tension where the knee is most vulnerable—aim for 8–12 reps, 3 sets (machine alternative is fine too).
4. Hip mobility drill: enhances hip mobility to prevent stress from transferring to the knee; involves seated leg rotations and contract-relax stretching of outer glutes—more mobile hips reduce injury risk overall.

Limitation: if you have a connective tissue disorder such as some kind of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (there are many kinds; it’s an umbrella term), there’s a good chance that no matter how much you strengthen it, your associated nerves aren’t going to believe it, so every now and again your legs will still fold like laundry no matter how strong they are. These exercises still have merit though, as they will help avoid exactly the kind of injury that the “oh no, collapse immediately!” response in EDS is also trying to help you avoid.

For more on these exercises, plus visual demonstrations, enjoy:

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Want to learn more?

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The Best Exercise to Stop Your Legs From Giving Out

Take care!