As we age, despite every precaution we take in terms of nutrition, supplementation, rest, stretching, and warming up, our bodies are still more susceptible to injury.  One area of the body, which is particularly vulnerable, is the knee.  Many people who are very fit and religiously take care of themselves find themselves going under the knife for arthroscopic surgery at some point, even though they took very good care of themselves.  While it’s a sad reality of life that joints, which receive stress from training, may eventually break down, we can design our weight and training protocols to lessen the likelihood of this occurring.  Here are a few ideas that can be employed to fully train the body, particularly the knees, while preserving the knees.

Weight Training

Squats are okay!  Many bodybuilders and trainers immediately remove squats from their program at the first sign of a knee weakness, or never include them at all for fear of ‘bad knees’.  It’s true that squats can leads to knee damage, if they are done incorrectly.  Partial reps place a great deal of stress upon the legs in the very vulnerable mid-range position.  Always complete the full range of motion when doing squats.  Your upper thighs should be parallel with the floor at the lowest point in the movement.  Strong legs are less likely to incur knee damage.

Cardiovascular Training

High-impact cardio training can have a detrimental effect on the knees over time.  There is no doubt that outdoor running, especially on hard surfaces like concrete, places undue stress on the knees.  Since you can achieve an equally effective workout using low impact movements like the elliptical, treadmill, and stepper, considers using these if knee injuries are of concern to you.

Supplementation

A variety of supplements exist which may help joint durability and strength. Bodybuilders, joggers, and elderly power walkers use glutamine and glucosamine alike in the belief that they increase joint strength.  There is some empirical data, which supports this, but it’s still something not yet widely accepted in the scientific community.  If you think it might help you, give it a shot.

Other Solutions

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