If you want to work out at home, most routines include burpees, running on the spot, or lunges, which can all be hard on your knees. Fortunately, there are ways to strengthen your lower body without these exercises.
You only need a sturdy chair and a couple of dumbbells (or adjustable dumbbells) to give it a go, so you can take it for a spin at home or in the gym. The routine, developed by Sweat app trainer Britany Williams, features six alternative moves that are easy on your knees.
To get started, perform 12 glute bridges, 10 weighted donkey kicks on each leg, 10 step-ups, 10 squat to chairs, 10 split squats on each leg, and a 60-second wall sit, resting as little as possible between each one.
After you've finished this six-move sequence, take a 60-second break then go back to the start, and repeat until you've hit four rounds in total. This should take about 30 minutes.
Watch Williams's video below for a demonstration of each move, then practice them without weights to master the technique before beginning the workout to get the most from your training and avoid injury.
Watch Britany Williams' six-move leg workout
Williams says this workout will target your glutes (backside), as well as your quadriceps and hamstrings (the large muscles running down the front and back of your thigh, respectively).
These are the same muscles worked during lunges, allowing you to sidestep the movement while still strengthening the same areas. However, Williams advises that "you shouldn’t avoid lunges forever."
She explains that "if you have chronic knee pain, see a doctor or physical therapist instead of avoiding exercises that are good for you," as there may be an underlying reason for your sore knees.
Luckily, according to the Harvard Medical School, one of the best ways to reduce knee pain is strengthening the surrounding muscles, tissues and joints. And that's just what this workout can do.
Another cause of knee pain can be tightness in your leg muscles, which can be countered by stretching your lower body. This four-move stretching routine is a great place to start.
