5 exercises to strengthen your parents’ knees

Rishabh shared the clip with the caption, “5 exercises I get my mother to do to have her build strong knees. Share this with your parents, friends and anyone else who can make use of this routine. I hope this helps.” He even shared the steps to the workouts. All you will need is a chair. Here are the five exercises he suggested:

1. Calf raises

To do the calf raises, the fitness expert made his mother move the entire weight onto the toes while going up. While coming down back to her heels, he made her slow down the descent. He suggested doing the exercise for 18 to 20 repetitions.

2. Hip flexor lift

Take a chair and sit down. Now, lift one leg at a time using only the hip. Keep alternating for 20 repetitions.

3. Seated toe raises

Make your parents sit closer to the edge of the chair and ask them to plant their feet on the ground. Now, they will have to raise their toes completely off the ground, as much as they can manage. Slowly bring the toes back down and do the exercise for 20 repetitions.

4. Knee extensions

Place your feet firmly on the ground while sitting on a chair. Then, extend your kneed parallel to the ground, one at a time. Pause your leg for a fraction of a second in the air, and then apply some resistance on your parent’s leg from the top. Ask them to push it back. Then, slowly bring the leg down to the ground and repeat the exercise.

5. Hamstring curls

For this exercise, stand while holding the back of the chair for support and bend the knee to a 90-degree angle [parallel to the ground]. Then, do the same drill. Apply some pressure on the leg and ask them to push back and slowly bring their leg down. Repeat.

Things to keep in mind

In the end, the coach added that he finishes off the routine by asking his mom to do a 5-minute backward walk. Additionally, he suggested that if you are assisting your parents, make sure the surroundings are safe and clean to avoid any injuries.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.

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Image Credit: Steppin

Researchers at University of Tsukuba identified a previously unconfirmed gas exchange threshold in rats and demonstrated that this threshold, together with the lactate threshold, serves as an indicator of moderate-intensity exercise to determine the effectiveness of training in enhancing aerobic performance.

The study is published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. This achievement is fundamental for basic research on exercise. It will be useful for researchers in the field of health and fitness promotion as it provides a useful moderate-intensity index for rats.

During incremental aerobic exercise, there are thresholds where blood lactate levels begin to rise, and CO₂ production increases rapidly relative to O₂ uptake. The former threshold is termed the lactate threshold (LT), and the latter, the gas exchange threshold (GET). In humans, these thresholds are moderate-intensity exercise indices, with LT and GET at 45%–74% of the maximal oxygen uptake (VO_2max). Training at or above these thresholds improves aerobic performance.

In contrast, in rats, LT has been identified, but GET is not known yet. Furthermore, it is unclear whether the rat GET and LT can be useful indicators of exercise intensity similar to the thresholds in humans.

The researchers previously established a rat model for identifying the LT during running exercise. This study aimed to simultaneously identify LT and GET by integrating this LT model with the standard human GET identification method, known as the V-slope method.

Subsequently, the relationships among the identified GET, LT, and VO_2max, as well as the changes in these thresholds following aerobic training below or above the LT, were examined. The results showed that GET and LT in rats occurred synchronously at intensities ranging from 41.0% to 65.5% VO_2max, and that the maximal (VO_2max) and submaximal (GET, LT) aerobic capacities were enhanced only in rats that trained at intensities above the LT.

These results suggest that the GET and LT in rats are valid indices of moderate-intensity exercise in training prescription to enhance aerobic performance as in humans. The findings of this study are expected to serve as a catalyst for further research in the field of rat studies focused on exercise intensity, ultimately contributing to the advancement of human exercise prescription strategies. In particular, the noninvasive and easily identifiable nature of the GET from the exhaled gas suggests a wide range of potential applications.