Resistance band workouts are key to spicing up any strength training routine or rehabilitation program. These bands come in a variety of sizes, lengths, and levels of resistance.
Front squats, leg extensions, leg curls, glute bridges, standing adductions, clamshell, plantar flexion, lateral band walk, and standing abductions are resistance band workouts that help strengthen the knees. Aim for two to three sets of eight to twenty-five reps per exercise for best results.
Here are the best band resistance exercises for your knees.
Resistance Band Exercises for Knees
These are resistance band exercises you can do anywhere.
Front squat
Front squats provide added strength to your groin, hips, and calves.
How to do this:
- Stand on the band with your feet a little bit higher than shoulder length.
- While holding a handle in each hand, bring the top of the band over each shoulder. If the band is too big, secure it in place by crossing your arms over your chest.
- Lower yourself as if you are sitting in a chair. Keep your chest up, your abs tight, and your feet flat on the ground.
- Rise up to the starting position.
- Repeat for 8-12 reps.
Leg extension
Leg extensions focus the tension on your quadriceps. This is the only exercise that targets your quadriceps without any other muscles. Other leg exercises such as squats, step-ups, and leg presses work your quadriceps, while the hamstrings, calves, and glute muscles assist you in doing these exercises.
How to do this:
- Anchor your loop band in a low position on a support such as a bench and position your feet at least hip-wide apart from each other.
- Shift your weight to your left foot while raising your right leg off of the ground,
- Extend your knee until it straightens facing out in front of you.
- Return to your starting position.
- Repeat for 8-12 reps before switching legs.
Leg curl
Leg curls directly improve and strengthen the stability of the posterior chain for improvements in lower body stability and balance for further reduced incidences of injuries, in and out of doing athletic activities.
How to do this:
- Lie face down and loop your band around your right ankle, anchored towards a stable object close to the floor for added stability.
- Scoot yourself away from the object and anchor to create more tension.
- Tighten your core, while bending your leg at the knee. Bring your heel towards the glutes as far as you can go without hurting yourself.
- Return your leg to its starting position at a slow pace.
- Repeat for 10-15 reps and switch sides.
Glute bridge
Glute bridges are useful exercises for building core stability and strength while improving your overall form and function of exercise. When performing this as a stabilization exercise, glute bridges can activate the glutes as they are supposed to move in other exercises such as squats, deadlifts, walking, and running.
How to do this:
- Tie a band around your legs right above your knees.
- Lie face with your feet planted on the floor, while bending your knees at 90 degrees.
- Raise your hips by contracting your glutes and applying light pressure outward against the band until your shoulders, hips, and knees align together.
- Repeat 15-20 reps.
Standing adduction
Doing standing adductions boots your hips, groin, and inner thighs as it works on your big and small muscle groups that support the big movements of your body.
How to do this:
- Anchor your loop band around at ankle height to support and stand, with your right side that is supposed to face the support.
- Stand perpendicular to the band while stepping away from the support to create tension.
- Get into a quarter squat position from a wide stance.
- Pull your leg in towards your left, while working against the resistance from the band.
- Slowly move towards the starting position.
- Repeat this for 12-15 reps before you switch sides.
Clamshell
The clamshell is a basic, yet essential exercise that is perfect for you if you perform it correctly. Regular clamshells strengthen the outside of your glutes, and build the hips, while restoring balance and mobility to prevent injuries or pain.
How to do this:
- Loop your band around your legs, located just above your knees.
- Lie down on your side with your hips and knees flexed to 90 degrees.
- While keeping your feet together, start pulling your knees away from each other while contracting your glutes for two to three seconds of time.
- Return to your starting position slowly.
- Repeat this, aiming for 10-12 reps.
Plantar flexion
Doing plantar flexion will keep your foot flexible, protect your ankles, and prevent further injuries while this exercise strengthens the muscles in your ankle, leg, and foot.
How to do this:
- Sit on the floor with one leg straight out in front of you, while the other leg is bent.
- Hold both ends of the resistance band. It needs to wrap around the middle of the ball of your foot.
- While sitting up straight, flex your foot forward by pointing your toes away from your body.
- While in this movement, bring your toes back up and flex them away from your knee as far as away as your body allows you.
- Return to your starting position slowly.
- Do 10-12 reps on each side.
Lateral band walk
Lateral band walks strengthen your glute and hip muscles, reduce hip and back pain, stabilizes your body, and improve back posture, and overall athletic performance.
How to do this:
- Wrap the looped band just above both of your ankles. Step your feet out around shoulder-width apart, creating tension in the band.
- Get into your athletic stance by keeping your knees slightly bent, hips placed forward at about 45 degrees, and hands placed on your hips.
- While keeping your body facing forward, take one step with your right foot. You should feel the tension from your right hip. After this, slowly step your left foot to the right so your feet are shoulder-width apart.
- Take ten steps to the right, starting with your right foot. Then switch directions by taking ten steps to the left starting with your left foot.
Standing abduction
Standing abductions target the hip abductor muscles in the body, located outside of the hips. This exercise promotes strength and stability in your hip muscles while walking and running.
How to do this:
- Wrap a loop band around your legs at ankle height.
- Lift your working leg while slowly bringing your foot out to the side. While doing this, keep your foot pointed forward and lead with your heel to help engage your glutes.
- If you feel unstable, grab a support like the wall, or a chair.
- Lower down back to your starting position.
- Repeat this for 15-20 reps on each side.
These exercises are great to use with resistance bands for your legs and knees.
How to Choose the Right Resistance Band
Since resistance bands come in many different shapes and sizes, they are used for various types of workouts such as physical therapy, pre-workout mobility, muscle strengthening, speed and agility, and stretches.
Resistance bands that have longer handles are used for upper-body and full-body workouts. The shorter, closed-loop resistance band is best for your glutes, legs, and lower body.
Resistance bands are inexpensive compared with buying an exercise machine with a tiny storage place. It is recommended you incorporate resistance band exercises 2-3 times a week with weights and different types of cardio such as swimming and walking.