A top strength coach shares three simple bodyweight exercises to help fix knee pain

“There’s nothing more debilitating than that knife-like stabbing pain or that just deep dull ache in your knees, every time you try to climb stairs, get out of bed, walk up a hill or down a hill,” says Strength Coach and Physical Therapist, in his latest YouTube video – and he’s not wrong.

If you suffer from knee pain, then you’ve probably read, or had someone tell you, that the worst thing you can do is stop strength training, and Cavaliere agrees. However, he argues that we’re probably doing the wrong exercises, and therefore focusing on the wrong muscles as a consequence.

“The knee itself is what we call a ‘consequential joint’, it’s literally stuck in the middle of the hip and then the ankle, and then the foot,” he says. “If we change things down here on the ground, we’re going to put torque on the knee. If we change things up here in the hip, side to side, we’re going to change the forces at the knee, and the knee has no say in it.”

That’s why his approach targets the muscles above and below the knee – specifically the hips, ankles, and feet – to restore balance and reduce unnecessary stress on the joint. Below, are three simple exercises that he recommends doing two to three times a week; anyone can do them and all you’ll need is a little space and a spare 10 minutes.

Exercises to target the foot and ankles

Standing on one leg

We know what you’re thinking (what?!), but Cavaliere says this will specifically challenge the muscles in your foot and ankle. Plus, you’ll do more than just standing there like a flamingo; Cavaliere wants you to try and write out the alphabet in the air with the foot that’s lifted off the ground, which makes things a lot trickier! “What you’ll start to see is these muscles on the down foot will try to burn a little bit,”. Repeat this one to two times on each foot, two to three times a week.

Single leg RDL with knee drive

This is a little more challenging. Rather than just bring your foot back to the middle to meet the other – as you would with a regular RDL – Cavaliere wants you to extend and the hips and keep lifting the leg up in front of you (like in the picture above). Then, with the foot on the floor, he says: “I want you to act like you’re clenching the ground with your foot, basically making a fist with your foot as you come up. You’re really going to feel a cramping sensation in your foot, but that’s a good strengthening exercise that works biomechanically with how your foot, ankle and knee prefer to work together anyway.” Aim for two rounds of eight to 10 reps on each side, and repeat one to two times per week.

Exercise to target the hips

The ‘hip lift’

We’re not sure if this is a universally known exercise or one that Cavaliere came up with himself but, either way, it gives a great stretch to the outside of your hip (as we’ve tested it ourselves). “All you do is lean against something, you stand on the leg furthest away from the wall,” says Cavaliere. “Now you let yourself get lazy, in other words, let you hips drop out to the side. The only muscle that’s going to really bring them back to centre is that glute medius, so all you’re allowing yourself to do is drop out, then squeeze really well through that outside of the hip that drives you over.” Do 10 reps of this on each side, twice, two to three times a week; your hips will be less tight and your knees more relieved.

Now for strength...

While Cavaliere says these exercises will help you "get over the hump of knee pain", he also mentions the importance of strengthening your legs as a whole, so make sure you incorporate some lower-body specific exercises. Not sure which are best? Check out these three from a mobility expert, they're easy to slot into your routine and all you'll need is your bodyweight.