Leg Joints

Leg joints—hips, knees and ankles—get dished some of the hardest physical punishment in a man''s life. Did you know just the simple act of walking up a flight of stairs puts hundreds of pounds of pressure on the knees and ankles—with each step?

"When they exercise their legs, most people don''t really do it with the idea of strengthening their hip or knee joints," says Dan Hamner, M.D., director of sports medicine and rehabilitation for the New York State Athletic Association and visiting professor of rehabilitation at New York Hospital in New York City. But you''ll sure notice those joints when they''re bent out of shape or feel like they''re grinding themselves into powder with every move you make.

You can start right now to do leg lifts and stretching exercises that will not simply build muscle, but build balanced muscle, creating a solid yet supple latticework that will support the joints, keeping them where they belong, and keeping you where you belong—in the game, not sidelined with a bad hip or a bum knee. Here''s a quick look at each of the major leg joints, along with some ways you can keep them from getting out of joint.

Getting Hip to Leg Joints

But first let''s look at what your leg joints do. Hips are the pivotal structure on a man''s body—literally. When we swing a bat or a racquet, throw a punch, or block an opponent from shooting a basketball, we get much of our power from our hips. "The muscles that cross the hip joint are very strong to begin with, but they can get very tight on you," says Dr. Hamner. "You don''t need to just strengthen these muscles; you need to stretch them. A lot."

Knees, meanwhile, are the most commonly injured joint on men. We blow them out doing squats the wrong way; we tear them up on the basketball court; we ruin them in football games.

"On the lower body, it seems like knees take all the punishment when we''re physically active. They have to deal with the impact of our own body weight as well as the pressure of stopping and starting, making fast turns. And if you get hit—someone tackles you or falls on you—then you have someone else''s body weight and momentum to deal with," says Todd Ellenbecker, P.T., clinical director of Physiotherapy Associates Scottsdale Sports Clinic in Arizona. With the knees, your emphasis should be on strengthening the muscles nearby—especially the quadriceps and hamstrings. "The stronger the surrounding muscles are, the more they''ll absorb shock and shore up the knee," says Ellenbecker.

Ankles are the last of the major leg joints, and they''re almost as frequently wracked up as the knee. The ankle joint is a pivotal but delicate area, where your leg and foot bones are connected to the main ankle bone. It''s a center of power in terms of your speed and mobility as well as your balance. Ironically, many of the ills that befall the ankle are problems we bring on ourselves.

"Wearing the wrong shoe for an activity, putting yourself off-balance by improper form—those are just a couple of ways you can really injure your ankle—and believe me, I see a lot of sprained ankles among athletic men," says Dr. Hamner.

But you don''t have to be one of those men. Here, we recommend several ways to keep your joints strong and flexible. Don''t treat these like strength-building exercises and try to jam on as much weight as you can. Your joints won''t like that. Follow the specific number of reps we list and use light weights. Plus, with a few additional tricks, you can keep the stress on your leg joints to a minimum.

Be a gait keeper. If you''ve been getting twinges in your hips when you run or when you do exercises like lunges, the problem may not be your hip joint after all.

"Sometimes hip problems, especially tightness, come indirectly from walking on the outside edge of your feet," says Dr. Hamner. That''s called supination. To see if you do it, check the soles of your shoes: If the outer edge of the forefoot is worn more than any other part of the shoe, chances are you''re a supinator. "It''s not a serious problem unless you do a lot of running and neglect to stretch the short rotator muscles around the hip," says Dr. Hamner.

A sports medicine doctor can check your gait by having you run on a treadmill. If that isn''t possible, an experienced podiatrist can check your walking gait and determine if you need special insoles to correct the problem. Or you can shop around a good athletic shoe store. "Many shoes today are designed for people who walk on the inner or outer edge of their feet. If you can get yourself a pair, you''ll be saving yourself some trouble down the line," says Dr. Hamner.

Do it right. When you''re in crouching positions, such as during a squat or while you''re in a tuck for sports like skiing, try to keep your thighs parallel to the floor. If you go down any lower and then try to come back up, you can risk putting too much strain on the knee, says Michael Bemben, Ph.D., assistant professor of health and sport sciences at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. "You especially want to avoid anything where you''re doing deep, ballistic knee bends—that really hyperflexes the knees and stretches the ligaments around them too much," says Dr. Bemben.

Do some sole-searching. Make sure you''re wearing the right shoe for the right sport. "Cross-trainers are good, especially for weight training," explains Tom Brunick, director of the Athlete''s Foot WearTest Center at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois, and a technical editor for Runner''s World magazine. As Brunick explains, cross-trainers are designed to help protect the foot and ankle, giving them more support. "The base of support that''s built into the design of the shoe is especially important when you''re doing side-to-side motions, as you will in a lot of sports. It helps stabilize the foot and keeps you on balance."

One note: If you run, buy a running shoe, not a cross-trainer. "Because of the impact running has on joints, you really need a shoe designed with a lot of cushioning and support for the straight-ahead motion of running," says Brunick. Running shoes are specially designed to support those needs.

Strengthen with sport. Different sports that can strengthen and tighten the muscles around the knee are actually good, not bad, say the experts.

"If you don''t overdo it, it''s actually very good to do some exercise that works the muscles around the knee—the quads, the hamstrings. The stronger they are, the better they''ll support the knee," says Dr. Bemben. Cycling, in-line skating and stair-climbing are some good examples of knee strengtheners.

Get a leg under you. Although a shoe can certainly help you in the ankle-support department, it can''t do all the work. You can help ankle strength and stability by doing balance exercises.

"There''s a simple exercise you can do—I call it the stork leg," says Dr. Hamner. "All you do is just stand on one leg and balance on it. Do it for as long as you can." As you get better, shift your weight on the leg you''re standing, shifting first to the inside of the foot, then to the outer edge of the foot. Or, as you''re standing, swing your free leg in front of the leg you''re standing on, bring it back to your side, then swing it back behind your leg, keeping your balance all the while.

Other ankle strengtheners are knock-kneed and bowlegged heel raises. These are similar to the standing heel raises mentioned in the Legs chapter on page 94, except you don''t use weights. For the bowlegged heel raises, splay your feet outward. When you raise your heels, roll to the inside part of your forefoot. For knock-kneed heel raises, start with your feet splayed inward. When you lift your heels, roll to the outside of your forefoot. Do two sets of 50 reps. For variety, Dr. Hamner suggests doing these one leg at a time. Stand about 18 inches away from a wall and support yourself against the wall with your hands. Wrap the toes of your free leg around the back of your working leg and do two sets of 20 reps.

Hip Abductors

This exercise strengthens and stretches your abductor muscles—the ones responsible for moving your leg out to the side. You''ll need some kind of low-lying pulley mechanism for this exercise. Some gyms have pulley machines just for this exercise; others have wall-mounted units. You could even use an elastic cord in a pinch. Stand straight, legs together, with your right side facing the pulley. The ankle strap should be around your left ankle. Stand back so that the line attached to the ankle strap is taut.

Raise your left leg out to the side as far as possible, keeping your back straight. Don''t bend your knee or swing from side to side. Lower your leg to the starting position. Use a light weight and do 12 to 20 reps, then switch legs.

Hip Flexions

Another pulley-machine exercise, this one works your hip flexors. These muscles let you swing your leg forward and are essential for kicking and running. Stand facing away from the pulley, with the ankle strap on your left ankle. Grab a support in front of you, something waist-high so you won''t have to bend over.

Raise your left leg in front of you until your thigh is parallel to the floor. Keep your leg and back straight; don''t bend forward or backward. Use a light weight, do 12 to 20 reps and then switch legs.

Inside Leg Lifts

This lift strengthens the muscles on the inside of your thigh, which helps reinforce proper kneecap alignment.

Start by lying on your left side, with your left leg outstretched, right leg bent and right foot flat on the floor behind your left leg. Support your head with your left hand; use your right hand for balance.

Now slowly lift your left leg off the floor, raising it toward the ceiling as high as possible. Hold at the top of the lift, then lower. Do 10 to 12 reps, then switch legs. To make the exercise slightly more difficult, strap on some 2½- to 5-pound ankle weights.

Outside Leg Lifts This is an exercise that helps create proper kneecap alignment, but it''s also good for the hip joint, since it works muscles on the outside of the hip.

Lie on your right side with both of your legs outstretched; support your head with your right arm.

Lift your left leg up and back slowly. Keep your knee straight, but let your toes drop a bit so your heel is pointing toward the ceiling. Raise the leg about 18 inches, hold for a moment, then lower. Do 10 to 12 reps, then switch sides. As with the inside leg lift, you can add ankle weights to make the lifts more challenging.

Freehand Squats

This exercise is similar to the squat you''d use with free weights, but doing it without weights allows you to focus on the motion of the exercise, without putting too much pressure on the knees.

Stand with your feet flat on the floor, shoulder-width apart. Fold your arms in front of your chest. Keeping your back straight, slowly bend your knees until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Hold, then slowly return to the starting position. Do up to 20 reps, or until you start to feel a burn in your quads, the top muscles of your thigh (they help support the ligaments of your knee). Stop if you feel any knee pain. If you are having balance trouble doing this exercise, hold an unweighted dowel or broomstick behind you across your shoulders.

Ankles

Ankle Stretch

Help keep your ankle supple with this stretch. Sit on the floor and bend one leg up to you so you''re grasping your lower leg with one hand and holding your foot with the other.

Now rotate your ankle clockwise and counter-clockwise, like a pendulum. Do 10 to 20 swings, then switch legs.

Side Ankle Lifts

This lift works the stabilizing muscles on your ankle. Lie on your left side with your right leg straight and your left leg bent—your knees should be together with your left foot behind you.

Now rotate your foot to the right—the little toe should be pointing toward the ceiling. Your heel will lift some as you do this, but the important part of the exercise is the rotation of the foot, not the lift. Pause for a moment, then lower the foot. Do at least 30 to 50 of these, then switch legs.

Note: For more resistance, have a partner place a light ankle weight across the edge of your foot. He''ll need to hold it in place as you do the exercise.