Exercise of the week W41 Knee bends (B1)

The classic

A classic first exercise is bending the knees. The knee bend exercise is a very complex training exercise which primarily serves to invigorate the muscles of the thighs and buttocks. In addition, calf muscles and trunk muscles are also trained. The positive effect of the knee bends is achieved through activation of many large muscle groups. In addition, the muscles learn to switch on or off in different phases of the exercise.

Objectives

• Improve the power of the thighs and calves
• Full body workout
• Improve co-ordination

Posture/foot position

• Basic position
• Controlled basic tension

Movement execution

• Perform slow, controlled movement downwards
• Movement is similar to sitting down on a chair 
• Lower legs remain vertical, do not push the knees past the toes 
• Position of the head directed slightly upwards 
• Bend to a maximum of 90° 
• Slowly straighten up again and stretch the knees 
• 4 seconds downwards - 4 seconds upwards

Frequency, position and duration

Improving muscle function, relaxation and detonisation

 Increasing muscle power and muscle force

Where does it vibrate?

• Calves
• Thighs (front, back and on the inside) 
• Buttocks 
• Lower back (depending on the posture of the upper part of the body)

Due to medical reasons, when bending the knees, a foot position should not be selected which is significantly wider than the width of the hips. The reason for this is the given physiological leg axis. This means that the ankle, knee joint and hip joint should form a line to enable optimal transfer of force. If the foot position is too wide, unfavourable positions of the articular surfaces can lead to an overload of individual joint sections.

Common errors

• Round back
• Knees pushed too far to the front 
• Knees move to the inside or outside 
• Ankles buckle

Tips

• Vary speed of movement
• Hold the position at the lowest point of the movement until the muscle is fatigued

Variations

• With jumping
• With ball between the knees 
• Resistance band from outside
• Diagonal traction support