A Physical Therapist-Approved Butt Workout to Reduce Knee Pain

When you feel a twinge in your knee, it’s logical to zero in on the joint itself. But many times, the solution to creaky knees lies further up the kinetic chain. Dan Ginader, a physical therapist in New York City and author of The Pain-Free Body, says the vast majority of his patients who come in complaining of knee pain have something else in common: weak glutes.

Why Weak Glutes Cause Knee Pain

There are two main reasons weak glutes can contribute to knee pain, according to Ginader.

The first: when your butt muscles—which include your gluteus maximus, the biggest muscle of your butt, along with your gluteus medius and gluteus minimus, two smaller muscles that form your side butt—aren’t as strong as they should be, the quads take on extra work to complete movements like squats, lunges, and climbing the stairs. That muscle group then gets overworked and tightens up. When that happens, the quads start tugging on your patellar tendon, a band of tissue that joins the kneecap with the shin bone, causing pain there, Ginader explains. The official name for this is patellar tendinitis, also known as runner’s knee or jumper’s knee.

The second reason: a big job of the glutes, especially the glute medius and glute minimus, is to stabilize the knee. So when these players aren’t strong enough for the task, the knee can collapse inward as you run, squat, lunge, and go up and down stairs. As Ginader explains it: “If your knee is routinely falling in when it shouldn’t be, then that can create some wear and tear in the knee itself.” This often triggers discomfort.

The antidote to all this? Glute exercises. By bolstering the strength of your butt and improving your ability to engage this muscle group more effectively, you can assuage related knee pain. We have a 4-move routine, below, that will help you do just that.

A couple of caveats to keep in mind: the following exercises are for people with mild knee pain. If your knees hurt as a result of a traumatic accident or acute event, if the joint feels really unstable, or if there’s lots of swelling and bruising, then you get checked out by a doctor. Similarly, if you’ve been doing these moves for ten to 14 days and haven’t seen any positive improvements, or if the pain increases in general or gets worse with movement, see a physical therapist, Ginader says.

4 Glute Exercises for Knee Pain

Start with superset 1: do ten reps of the glute bridge, followed by 10 reps per side of the clamshell. Rest as needed, then repeat the exercise for a total of three rounds.

Then complete superset 2: do six to eight reps per side of the reverse step-down, followed by six to eight reps per side of the side plank with hip abduction. Rest as needed, then repeat for three total rounds.

Equipment Needed

You need a short plyo box (about 6 to 8 inches tall) for the single-leg reverse step-down.

All the other moves require only your body weight. 

First Superset

1. Glute Bridge

A classic butt exercise, this move is mainly powered by your gluteus maximus. To emphasize glute engagement, focus on really pressing through your heels and squeezing your butt as you lift up. Make it harder by placing a weight on top of your hips, or by doing a single-leg bridge, the latter of which fires up more of the glute medius and minimus.

How to Do It: 

• Lie on your back with knees bent and feet pressed firmly into the floor, about hip-distance apart.
• Rest your arms by your sides and engage your core to press your low back into the ground. This is the starting position.
• Keeping your core engaged, drive your heels into the ground and squeeze your glutes as you lift your hips straight up. Pause at the top for a moment.
• Slowly lower back down to the starting position.
• This is one rep—complete ten reps.

2. Clamshell

This move effectively engages your side glute muscles and is beneficial for individuals with knee pain, as it doesn’t involve any active bending or straightening of the knee joint. Make it harder by placing a resistance band above your knees.

How to Do It: 

• Lie on your right side with both knees bent to 90 degrees, with your left leg stacked directly over your right.
• Keeping your feet pressed together, squeeze your glutes and raise your left knee as far as you can without letting your hips roll backwards. Pause at the top for a moment.
• Slowly lower your left knee to return to the starting position.
• This is one rep—complete ten reps.
• Switch sides and repeat.

Second Superset

3. Single-Leg Reverse Step-Down

This move mainly targets your glute max, since you’re using that to hinge at the hip. However, it also engages the glute medius and minimus on your grounded leg, as those muscles must activate to keep your pelvis aligned and prevent your knee from collapsing inward. Make it harder by holding weights.

How to Do It: 

• Stand on a six to eight-inch-tall box with feet about hip-distance apart.
• Keeping your right leg firmly planted, lift your left foot and extend that leg behind you. This is the starting position.
• Staying grounded in your right heel, hinge slightly at the hips as you slowly lower your left leg down to the ground.
• Once you feel your left toes touch the ground, push through your right heel and squeeze your right glute, and return to the starting position. This is one rep.
• Continue for 6 to 8 reps.
• Switch sides and repeat.

(Make sure your grounded knee doesn’t collapse inward and focus on keeping your pelvis even throughout–don’t twist your hips or lean to the side.)

4. Kneeling Side Plank with Hip Abduction

This plank variation targets your glute medius and minimus, since those muscles are fired up as you raise your leg away from your body. It also delivers bonus core work, as you’ll feel it in your deep abdominal muscles. Make it harder by lifting your knee off the ground.

How to Do It: 

• Get into a kneeling forearm side plank with right forearm on the ground, shoulder directly over elbow, and right knee on the ground with left leg stacked on top and extended straight.
• Engage your core and lift your hips so that your body forms one line from your torso to your feet. This is the starting position.
• Raise your left leg straight up, going as high as you can while maintaining the plank position, then lower it back down to the starting position. This is one rep.
• Do six to eight reps.
• Switch sides and repeat.

How Often Should You Do This Routine?

It depends on the extent of your pain. If knee discomfort is getting in the way of your regular workouts, do this routine as your main form of exercise, as often as every day, Ginader says. If you’re still able to exercise consistently outside of these moves, then incorporate this as a warm-up prior to your other chosen forms of physical activity, he says.

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