Knee exercises level 1

1. Straight leg raise: Lie on your back on the floor or another flat surface. Bend one knee and
place your foot flat on the floor. Keeping the other leg straight, raise it to the height of the
opposite knee. Repeat 10-15 times for three sets. Raise and lower the leg slowly.

2. Hamstring curls: Lie flat on your stomach. Slowly bring your heels as close to your butt as you
can, and hold that position. Do three sets of 15. You can also do this exercise standing while
you hold onto a chair and lift one leg at a time. If this becomes easy, you can add ankle weights,
slowly increasing the weight from 1 to 3 to 5 pounds.

3. Quadriceps set: Lie flat on your back and with your leg horizontal on a flat surface such as a
bed. Place a rolled up towel (approximately 10cm diameter) under the knee. Pull your toes
towards you and clench your thigh muscles. Slowly lift your foot up off the bed until your
knee is straight (keep your knee resting on the towel). Hold for 3-5 secs and slowly lower the
leg. Repeat 10-20 times, twice a day. As a progression you could increase the size of the
 towel under the knee or could add a weight e.g. by wearing a shoe, or using a light ankle
weight. Progress further by using a heavier weight.

4. Knee extension: Sit upright in a chair, straighten your leg, tighten your thigh and pull your toes
back. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat up to 20 times. The more you tighten your muscles, the
better results you’ll get from this exercise. You may feel a stretch behind your knee during the
exercise. For a greater challenge, straighten both legs at the same time, or do this exercise
with an adjustable ankle weight up to 5 pounds.

5. Heel raises: Hold onto a chair or countertop only as much as you need to for safety. Go up on
your toes as high as possible without leaning your body weight forward. Stay up and maintain
your balance for 2-3 seconds. Repeat up to 25 times. Keep your weight over your big toes as
you go up and down. Once you can easily do 25 repetitions, try lowering back down on one
foot. Then progress to single leg heel raises.
6. Butt Kicks: Keep your knees in line and lift your heel toward your rear end, as high as possible.
Stand upright when you lift your heel. You will feel your hamstring muscles during this
exercise, and you may feel a stretch in the front of your thigh. Repeat up to 20 times per side.
Add an ankle weight to increase the challenge