Your knees are under tremendous pressure when you are lifting weights. It is important to use women’s knee sleeves for lifting and other exercise gears when you are burning sweat to achieve your weight loss goals or to build muscles. A knee brace protects your knee joints from potential damages that can be very serious. The largest joint in the body, your knee is an intricate interconnection of ligaments and bones. It is a structure in which the lateral collateral ligament (LCL), the medial collateral ligament (MCL), the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) and the anterior cruciate ligament attach to the tibia, femur, fibula and patella bones.
This structure allows you to extend, rotate and bend your leg. This also shows that your knees are vulnerable to injuries and arthritis and other degenerative conditions. Weightlifting and some other types of exercises can be very tough on your knees. The weight on your knees during squats is 7.5 times the weight on your knees when you walk. This does not mean that you have to give up weightlifting.
You can use men’s or women’s knee sleeves for lifting to keep your knees healthy during squats, leg presses, and other high-pressure exercises. And, make sure that you are also making the following adjustments in your lifting regimen:
Use Lighter Weights To Warm Up
Avoid starting with the heaviest weights. Warm-up by starting with leg presses and leg extensions. Use lighter weights in the beginning. Repetitions should not be more than 20 to 30. Repetitions should be controlled to make sure that the blood is circulated around the knees. This also loosens the quad muscles. Once your body is ready, move on to heavier weights. If you are working with a trainer, follow her instructions.
Perfect Your Form
Not following the proper form while doing any exercise that puts pressure on knees can cause patellar tendonitis. This causes severe pain in the back of the kneecap. Therefore, it is important to keep your knees and hips aligned when you do squats. Your knees should not be extended beyond your toes. Your knees should be completely straight when you are doing seated leg presses. Never lock out your knees. Not doing so can increase stress on them as the weight is not shifted to the muscles. You can avoid strain during leg presses by maintaining a slightly bent knee.
Stress Your IT Band
A piece of tissue called IT band extends from the pelvis to shin bone. Weightlifting taxes the IT band of your body. Keeping your knees aligned with toes and hips reduces the strain on the IT band while squatting. You can prevent injury to the IT band by strengthening your glute muscles. In case you experience any swelling or pain in your knee, outer hip or leg, use a foam roller to stretch your IT band.
Include Low-Impact Exercises
Avoid doing strenuous weightlifting every day. Reduce stress on your knees by alternating aerobic activities and strength training. Running is good for your health but it can have a high impact. So, you can go for swimming, use an elliptical machine, or pedal on a stationary bike for a great cardio workout while keeping your knees safe from stress or damage.
In the end, using women’s knee sleeves for lifting is a must.