Posted: Today 9:58:36 AM EDT
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Been trying to build up my legs after years of bad knees and ankles. Injuries and wear and tear. I’ll squat fairly light weight like 95 lbs or sometimes 135 and my legs are just screaming Hard to walk the next few days I’m limping around Would I be better off just trying to do 100 body weight squats everyday? I’ve always heard light weight doesn’t really build muscle but who knows ? |
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only you can answer that question. you will get some benefit regardless. as you age you are constantly fighting the battle of what you WANT to do vs. realistically what you CAN do given your individual physiology, injury history, etc. if possible, given your situation I'd just take some NSAIDs pre workout and get some medium weight / medium rep work done and call it good. correct posture. quality reps. no bouncing. etc. but any squatting -- even with low weights -- is better than none. lunges are great too. keep at it. |
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Try Romanian deadlifts with dumbbells. It's easier on your knees and you can fine tune the weight with dumbbells and exertion via rep duration. Max 3 sets, Min 2 sets. Minimum counts 8 to a max of 12. At first, form is better than weight. There's a guy named Jeff Nippard, on youtube that has good tutorials. I hate the gym so combining movements gets me out of there faster. I do a farmer's carry to/from the dumbbell rack to a far wall to do my RDLS. Don't want any slack jawed GD homos lookin' at my ass.  Also if you have knee pain, I learned in physical therapy, at least 5 minutes on the seated stationary bike really helps with pain, swelling and general mobility. I think it moves the Synovial fluid around. |
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PA, USA
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Gotta work up to it. First, look up the Knees over Toes guy and start with his stuff. It’s VERY good for existing bad knees. Proper stretching and foam rolling to activate and loosen the right areas, then bands, single leg deads, lunges, Kettle bell squats and finally get to weighted but foot placement and front squat vs low back vs high back squat can all make a huge difference in comfort and building up to what you may be wanting to get the benefits of squats. |
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Originally Posted By AlabamaFan64: Body weight and not going as far down with higher reps. |
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Shoes matter. Both of my knees are in bad shape. Just holding off as long as possible for the knee replacements. Make sure you are not using a forced arch shoes during leg workouts. Barefoot if possible. I like chucks too. Do the heel touch exercises for knee strength. I use the edge of a treadmill, stand sideways with one foot dangling. Touch heel to floor and back up. Try not to put you weight on the heel when you touch. I will do a few sets after my quad workout to finish. |
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Originally Posted By JEL: Start on a leg press sled and experiment with foot placement to find weakness and work on that first, then move to squats. Likely quad strength is an issue if your knees are giving out early, good quad strength can help knees https://powerliftingtechnique.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/5-Foot-Placements-For-Leg-Press-Infographics.jpg Good tip and that would be close to a squat? |
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You need to perform "terminal knee extensions". You will need some exercise bands, and something that you can loop the band around. Band goes around the back of the knee and you move your knee forward and flex your quad on the return starting position.  How to perform the banded Terminal Knee Extension (TKE) exercise | Knee Pain |