You've heard squats and lunges are great lower-body exercises. Your sources aren't wrong. Especially when it comes to your butt, both rock. But they hurt your knees!
Actually, when done correctly, these exercises can prevent knee pain—not to mention trim your hips and thighs. Unless you have an injury or have been diagnosed with a joint disease—something like osteoarthritis—a few quick fixes will have you lunging and squatting without pain in no time.
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SQUATS
Check your form.
Make sure your knees stay in line with your feet when squatting—not wobbling off to one side. And lower your butt only as far as you can without letting your knees bend forward beyond the tips of your toes. It helps to watch yourself in a mirror as opposed to looking down, which can shift your weight forward. Finally, go at your own pace. Even if you're following along with a DVD, doing the moves slowly but correctly yields better toning and less pain.
Modify your moves.
If squats are still painful, a squat modification can help build strength and balance. Start seated in a chair. Now stand, keeping your weight in your heels to prevent your knees from shifting forward. Sit back down and repeat. Another option: Stand with a stability ball between your back and a wall. Press into the ball as you lower your hips toward the floor. (Check out the eight best exercises for weight loss.)
LUNGES
Strike a pose.
Get into position with your back knee on the floor, heel raised. Lift the knee a few inches. (Feel free to use a chair for balance if you need it.) Hold for up to 30 seconds, and then lower your knee back to the ground. Now switch legs. (Watch this video to see how to do a lunge safely.) When you're ready for moving lunges, you can reduce knee strain by stepping back into a lunge instead of forward.
Take baby steps.
Knee still hurts? Focus on non-weight-bearing moves to isolate muscles that support the same joints, such as seated leg extensions. If you have a lot of weight to lose—enough that both lunges and squats aren't realistic—there are simpler ways to begin exercising. Refer to these 50 tips for getting started.
This originally appeared in Prevention.
Fitness expert Chris Freytag is the author of Shortcuts to Big Weight Loss and Move to Lose. Read her blog for more healthy living tips, or check out her Prevention fitness DVDs.
