[[{“value”:”Knee strength after 65 is a priority. Getting up out of a chair can be more challenging than walking uphill or climbing up stairs. People think they need to use machines to rebuild their leg strength, but some of the best exercises you can do are available at home with just a wall.
The problem with machines is that they move in a fixed pathway. This doesn’t mimic the way the body moves in daily life. I’ve had great success with clients after 65 using the following exercises. Wall exercises provide support without removing your muscles to stabilize the joints.
The following moves are also based on fundamental movement patterns that we all need to do every day: lunging, sitting, squatting. You should be able to do each move slowly with control, and you’ll restore knee strength which will carry over to your daily activities.
Wall Sit Hold
The wall set is one of the best ways to isolate the quads while using the support of a wall. I use this exercise for clients after 65 because it’s safe, and you can modify it easily, just by your foot position. Keep your feet closer to the wall and your knees less bent, and the exercise is easier. As you walk your feet out and your hips sink lower, you increase the challenge.
This exercise is going to be challenging for people of all levels, and the tension can build rather quickly, so start by picking a higher height for the first time you do this.
How to Do It
Stand with your back flat against a sturdy wall
Walk your feet slightly forward
Slide down until your knees reach a comfortable bend
Keep both feet flat on the floor
Hold the position for 15–30 seconds
Press through your feet and stand with control.
RELATED: 5 Best Bodyweight Core Exercises That Build Strength Faster Than Planks After 55
Wall Squat
The wall sit strengthens your quads isometrically because it’s a hold where the angle of the joint doesn’t change. We also need to strengthen the knees concentrically and eccentrically. This is where the wall squat comes in. Instead of holding one position, you’re going to lower and raise, using the wall to support your back the whole time.
How to Do It
Stand with your back against the wall
Position your feet slightly forward and about hip-width apart
Brace your core and keep your feet flat
Slide downward slowly into a comfortable squat
Pause briefly at the bottom
Push through both feet to return to standing
Perform 10-12 reps.
Wall-Supported Split Squat
In life, we usually move one leg at a time. When you walk or climb stairs or step onto a curb, one leg has to work harder than the other. You also need to develop the balance to be able to support your whole body weight on one leg.
The nice thing about using the wall for help is you can practice using more or less help depending on how much you use the wall. As you squat down, if you hold on to the wall more, you’ll get more added assistance and if you hold less you do more of the work on your own. Sometimes with clients, I’ll have them start with all five fingers on the wall and then, over time, reduce the number of fingers that are touching the wall. You go from five fingers to four fingers to three fingers, and so on.
How to Do It
Stand beside a wall with one hand lightly supported
Step one foot backward into a split stance
Keep your front foot completely flat
Bend both knees and lower straight down
Stop at a depth you can control comfortably
Push through the front foot to stand
Complete your reps before switching sides
Start with 6-8 reps per side.
RELATED: The 7-Minute Chair Routine That Trims Tummy Roll Faster Than 30 Minutes of Walking After 60
Wall-Supported Standing Hamstring Curl
Finally, we want to make sure we don’t leave the back of our legs out of the workout. Stronger hamstrings actually take some of the pressure off of the kneecap. When I’ve worked with older clients who were dealing with knee pain, one of the best ways to make their leg stronger was to work the hamstrings.
The first time you do this exercise, start with body weight, but over time you can add a light ankle weight or a resistance band to increase the difficulty. Make sure to control the descent as well as the ascent. It’s very easy to let gravity do the work on the way down. You want to make sure that your muscle gets the stimulus so lower the ankle slowly.
How to Do It
Stand facing a wall with both hands lightly supported
Keep your posture tall and your standing knee soft
Bend one knee and bring the heel toward your butt
Keep the working thigh relatively still
Squeeze the hamstring briefly at the top
Lower the foot slowly with control
Complete your reps before switching legs
Do 12-15 reps.
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