Riding a bicycle or exercise bike can make the quadriceps and hind leg muscles around our knees stronger, increase muscle endurance, and is a good exercise to protect the knee joint. It is suggested that people who plan to climb the mountain spend three to five days a week for 20 minutes every day two or three months before climbing as pre-trip training. You will be surprised to find that your knees are not too sore after going down the mountain.

Leg stretching exercise

Using fitness equipment can exercise quadriceps well and increase muscle endurance. After sitting on the instrument chair, bend your knees and put your feet under the roller. Hold the handles on both sides of the chair with both hands, fix the upper body, then straighten your legs, raise them to the level of the chair, then relax and return to the original position. Repeat the movement of up and down 10 times, and do this for 3 times.

If you don't have an exercise machine at home and want to practice this movement, you can put a heavy object on your calf, which is affordable and doesn't need to be too heavy to avoid injury. So practice with the same movements as above.

Squat against the wall

Squat posture is very effective for knee muscle endurance training. After practicing, it is more appropriate to describe it with "the power of a horse is known from a distance"! How to squat correctly? First, the back is flat against the wall, but the feet should be about 60 to 90 cm away from the wall. Then slowly squat down with your back down until your body, thighs and calves are 90 degrees each. At this time, slightly adjust the position of your feet to shoulder width, and then keep this position 1 minute before getting up. This action should be done five times in a row, each time lasting a little longer than the last one, and the goal is to last five minutes for the fifth time.

Muscle extension of hind legs

If the lower limb muscles are too tight, the pulling between muscles will also damage the knee joint. Therefore, it is very important to do stretching exercises to relax leg muscles. Here's how to stretch the hind leg muscles.

Pull up a chair, the bottom only fills the first third position, the right leg is bent, the left leg is stretched and straightened, and the toes are up. Take a deep breath, then exhale slowly and bend over (straighten your back) until you feel a slight pain in the back of your knee. Hold this position for 30 seconds, then do it on the other side. You can also gently press your knees to keep your legs straight. Repeat the same action twice on both sides.

Foreleg muscle extension

It is recommended to do some calf stretching every day to avoid muscle tension. This exercise is very simple, just face the wall, put your hands flat on the wall, squat your right leg forward and extend your left leg backward until you feel a slight pain in your left calf. Hold this position for 30 seconds, then do it on the other side. Do the same action twice on both sides.

Extension of iliotibial tract

The iliotibial tract is a part of the hip muscles, which extends from the gluteus maximus and tensor fascia lata and connects our hips and knees. When the iliotibial tract is too tight, our knees will feel uncomfortable, so it is very important to stretch and relax this part.

Pull up a chair and sit down with your right leg on your left leg and your hand on your right knee. Slowly move your right knee to the left shoulder position until you feel the stretching of your right leg. Hold this position for 30 seconds, and then put your right leg back on the floor. Then do it on the other side. Repeat the same action twice on both sides.