10 Exercises That Will Help You Strengthen Your Joints

For today's post, I have decided to share with you a couple of very simple and easy exercises that you can do to strengthen your joints.

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about the most common injuries while exercising, and I see that most people are concern about injuring their knees and ankles and that most people do injure their knees and ankles.

These exercises are meant to do before your routine or class. In the pictures below I will only show the simple and easy way to do them, but, if you like a little bit more challenge you can complement these exercises with extra weight or an unstable surface like for example a bosu.

KNEES AND ANKLES 

With a yoga or pilates ball, sit against the wall, your legs should be in a 90-degree angle. Your back and hip should completely touch the ball. Hold the position for 10-20 sec. repeat 3 times. 

Lying down on the floor, but small ball between your knees and hold it. 

Squeeze the ball a little with your knees and let go. the ball should not fall on the floor. Repeat 10-15 times, 3 sets.

Sitting on a chair, tight one end of the resistance band to the chair and the other end to your feet, lift your leg as high as possible keeping it straight hold it for 10 secs and lower the leg slowly. 

Repeat 10 times each leg, 3 sets. 

Laying on the floor face down, with weights on your feet, flex and extend the knees slowly, remember to squeeze the glutes as you are working with weight. 

Repeat 10 times each leg, 3 sets.

Standing up, raise your heels and hold the position for 10-15 seconds then slowly lower your heels repeat 20 times, 3 sets.

Standing uplift one of your legs, this one you can alternate the position as the leg that you lift can be on a 90-degree angle or completely straight to the front, you can lift and stretch it back, You can even balance your leg up and down without touching the floor. 

To make it even more fun and challenging you can do this one on an unstable surface like a Bosu or over a medicine ball.  

Hold your position for 10-20 seconds each leg, 3 sets.

Another alternative is to tilt your upper body forward and raise your arms to shoulder height and lift your leg to the back. 

Kind of like a yoga position.

WRIST AND SHOULDERS

Believe it or not, we also need to strengthen our fingers this next exercise you can start by doing it along, improve it with a stress ball, and if you are strong enough use a tension clamp. 

All you have to do is raise your arms shoulder height and open and close your fist, do it for 10 secs. 3 sets.

This next exercise will also help you gain more flexibility in your wrists. all you have to do is raise your arms shoulder height and fingers ups, with your other hand you will place it covering all your fingers and you will push them towards you, then turn your hand with your fingers facing down and do the exact same thing, repeat 3 times each hand.

 This next one is a very common one we all have done it, standing up all you have to do is do circles with the shoulder, 10 times to the front, and 10 times to the back, 3 times.

The very last one is holding the push up position, your arms have to be aligned with your shoulders, and your back as straight as possible, hold the position for 10 sec. repeat 3 times.

This is very simple but effective exercises that will help you prevent any injuries on your joints, as I mention these exercises are meant to be done before your actual routine, not instead and remember to always warm-up before doing your routine and stretch after you have finished.