Oh Geez, My Knees!
No question - triathlon puts some stress on the knees. Even if you're a featherweight, it's only a matter of time before you feel pain or tightness in your knee or hip...unless you're smart about it!
Chances are, if your knees hurt, the cause isn't the knee itself. The most common cause of knee stress or injury is weakness in a muscle group above or behind the knee, or in the hip. "Knee bone connected to the...thigh bone..." Yep, it's true for the whole musculoskeletal system too.
So...You've got to have a strong lateral hip (that squishy area to the side of your gluteus maximus, a.k.a. "bootie"). And, you need balanced strength in the quad and hamstring.
Lateral Hip Strength
When I signed up for a cutting-edge core strength mentorship in 2004, my right hip was so tight my run became a hobble - and the knee didn't feel much better. The master trainers took a look at my baggy tri shorts, which were slipping dangerously close to my crack-side, and declared my hips too skinny. I tried to balance on one leg and do some movements - and then we knew I'd neglected my poor hips.
Within three weeks after this strength workshop (which worked muscles I didn't know I had), my hip and knee pain were gone. I went from being unable to race, to running a PR at Age-group Nationals, even though I hadn't been able to do run training. This was purely due to improved mechanics, flexibility, and core + hip strength.
Here's the number 1 must-do exercise if you run, ride, or play any sport involving running, jumping, hopping…the 4-way hip extension:
Stand with body straight, and abs engaged. Hold a chair or bar for support if you feel wobbly! Keep your feet flexed.
If you have straight hips, this will enhance your waist-to-hip ratio. If you're feeling a little flabby in that area, this will trim and tone, smoothing out your hip line. (Who doesn't want a little of that?)
Balanced Quad and Hamstring Strength
To get it, include a squat or lunge (to work the quad) and a hamstring exercise in your routine. If you currently have knee pain, DO NOT DO SQUATS YET. Start with a seated 1-leg extension, 2x20 reps, with no weight to light weight.
Then, add a hamstring curl with a swiss ball. This is a gnarly but so-effective solution for keeping the hamstrings and glutes strong, to protect your knees and make you faster.
Hamstring curl, steps 1 and 2:
If riding or running is still a pain in the knee even though you're working the strength, check your shoes!
Running shoes -- Are you running in a "stability" shoe when you should be in a neutral/cushioned shoe? Do you have enough arch support? Do you run on level surfaces? (A road or trail that's cambered - slanted downward to one side - tightens the IT band and lateral knee.)
Cycling shoes -- Are your cleats centered under the ball of your foot? Have you had a good bike fitting recently? Pain in front of the knee (patellar) can mean your seat is too low, or your feet are too far forward. Pain behind the knee can mean your seat is too high.
Keep your knees happy, and ride/run on!
- Diana
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Hi Patricia,
To see if your feet are too far forward, it usually means that your cleats are too far back on the shoe. An easy at-home way to check: Put your bike on a trainer, or have someone hold it while you sit on it. Position your feet parallel to the ground, front foot at 3:00. Dangle a plumb bob (string w/any kind of small weight on the end of it) from the front of your knee cap to see whether the weight lines up with the ball of your foot and the center of the pedal axle. This is an approximation; if you have an expert local fitter, he/she could probably tell by looking, and/or by doing a more comprehensive set of measurements.
You want to move your cleat forward or backward on the sole of the shoe so that the ball of the foot is centered with the pedal axle. Does that make sense?
When you're on a spin bike (not your own bike), it's hard to replicate your perfect fit. You can use the same method, and have someone look at your knee and foot position. If the seat adjusts backward and forward, you can simply adjust the seat to accommodate your knees.
I hope this helps - good luck!
Diana
Great post! I've been having trouble w/ my knee so have been working to strengthen it and these exercises are super helpful! I was also wondering- when you talk about "your feet are too far forward" when cycling, how can I tell? On my bike, I feel like I have a pretty good fit, but during spin class I feel the pain in my knee, pretty much the duration of the class. Now I'm thinking I don't have my seat positioned correctly. Any suggestions for checking the position? Thanks!
pictures are a girl's best friend when it comes to technique!
Plus Diana ROCKS the cas-bah when it comes to this stuff. Utterly and completely the bomb.
Thanks for posting the pictures.