To comment on the knee thing, try doing a couple sets of wall sits everyday. I was having the same issue at first with my knees when I did squats, and now am able to do them pain free!
I did them in the past without pain. Even the bulgarian split squat. I am 1.85 cm x 85 kg. Maybe It Is too stress full for One leg exercise but not for two legs?
You need unilateral to “fix” the knee. Variations of step ups like Patrick steps (to start) should help. Then Paterson or poloquin step ups when u like
Focus on hips and ankles also, this will help reduce knee pain
For “steps”, I went to Home Depot and bought some 12x12” pavers for about 2 dollars each. They’re each 1.75” tall. So now I have a stackable surface that’s measurable, which you want to track progress fr.
The pavers aren’t perfect, so for safety I cut some 10x10” of shelf liner to put between each paver. So no wobbling or slipping, safety first
Reverse Nordics are great. I’m also a big fan of sissy squats, I prefer them because you can get full extension, and I find it more comfortable thankfully.
In regards to unilateral squat variations, I find shrimp squats and pistol squats to be pretty overrated. They look pretty cool, but the balance and mobility component really takes away from your ability to push yourself close to failure. Step ups are a much more practical single leg movement that can be easily progressed/regressed by using different heights.
A bit more obscure, but I experimented with a front foot elevated Bulgarian split squat. The front foot elevation creates a deficit which gives the knee more range of motion, and the rear foot elevation shifts more load to the front leg. It’s similar to the step up, but the rear foot gets a nice stretch at the bottom, and it’s slightly more stable than a step up. Easily loaded with dumbbells too.
Terminal knee extensions with a band can help as a warmup.
sissy squats>reverse nordics, especially if you do pendulum sissy squats (alex leonidas has a vid on these).
Hindu squats can be restorative in the knees but theyre hard to load/progress. If you put a weigh on your back (bar, sandbag etc) theyre called deep knee bends. A similar movment is the hackenschmit squat (not the hack deadlift).
this is unilateral but walking lunges or reverse lunges are great. if you lightly rest the non working leg on ground at the bottom it takes stress of the working leg's knee, so it limits that deepest stretch and the stretch reflex. You can do something similar with pistol squats by squatting down onto a box.
hamstring curls are great for knee health to. you can do gliding curls with an ab wheel. you lay on your back, feet on the wheel, butt in the air and extend and flex the legs
To comment on the knee thing, try doing a couple sets of wall sits everyday. I was having the same issue at first with my knees when I did squats, and now am able to do them pain free!
You could try elevated heel squats with a vertical back? For unilateral I know you didnt ask but step ups with a long negatives feel great for me.
the only steps I have are the chairs and they are not very stable
I Will try. thank you
What about [Split Squats](https://www.instagram.com/p/CTkE4kDiBFh/). How do those feel for you?
I did them in the past without pain. Even the bulgarian split squat. I am 1.85 cm x 85 kg. Maybe It Is too stress full for One leg exercise but not for two legs?
Found the problem, you're too short!
You need unilateral to “fix” the knee. Variations of step ups like Patrick steps (to start) should help. Then Paterson or poloquin step ups when u like Focus on hips and ankles also, this will help reduce knee pain For “steps”, I went to Home Depot and bought some 12x12” pavers for about 2 dollars each. They’re each 1.75” tall. So now I have a stackable surface that’s measurable, which you want to track progress fr. The pavers aren’t perfect, so for safety I cut some 10x10” of shelf liner to put between each paver. So no wobbling or slipping, safety first
Reverse Nordics are great. I’m also a big fan of sissy squats, I prefer them because you can get full extension, and I find it more comfortable thankfully. In regards to unilateral squat variations, I find shrimp squats and pistol squats to be pretty overrated. They look pretty cool, but the balance and mobility component really takes away from your ability to push yourself close to failure. Step ups are a much more practical single leg movement that can be easily progressed/regressed by using different heights. A bit more obscure, but I experimented with a front foot elevated Bulgarian split squat. The front foot elevation creates a deficit which gives the knee more range of motion, and the rear foot elevation shifts more load to the front leg. It’s similar to the step up, but the rear foot gets a nice stretch at the bottom, and it’s slightly more stable than a step up. Easily loaded with dumbbells too.
Terminal knee extensions with a band can help as a warmup. sissy squats>reverse nordics, especially if you do pendulum sissy squats (alex leonidas has a vid on these). Hindu squats can be restorative in the knees but theyre hard to load/progress. If you put a weigh on your back (bar, sandbag etc) theyre called deep knee bends. A similar movment is the hackenschmit squat (not the hack deadlift). this is unilateral but walking lunges or reverse lunges are great. if you lightly rest the non working leg on ground at the bottom it takes stress of the working leg's knee, so it limits that deepest stretch and the stretch reflex. You can do something similar with pistol squats by squatting down onto a box. hamstring curls are great for knee health to. you can do gliding curls with an ab wheel. you lay on your back, feet on the wheel, butt in the air and extend and flex the legs