If you do and you can't figure out why.....here are some causes:-

(a) too much emphasis on working the Quads to exclusion of everything else:-
solution:- do Ham exercises, also adductor/abductor exes. The knee should be exercised all the way around...not just at the front.

(b) certain muscles may need to be stretched:- you'd be amazed how good your legs feel after a comprehensive stretch including : Hams,Calves,adductors/abductors, Quad group, ankles, Glutes.

(c) Patella/kneecap not tracking properly:-certain overuse of some Quad exes lead to improper kneecap tracking. solution:-
get on a stationary bike with knees pointing dead ahead (no flare-out!) and feet pointing dead ahead. Cycle at low intensity for 20 minutes.
This can also be done on an eliptical as long the machine has footpads that are not too far apart....and...your feet are pointing dead ahead.

(d) try doing this stretch:- Stand with your feet together and a chair in front of you on a non-slip surface. Now without bending your torso OR tilting your pelvis.....slowly widen your stance. Do not strain. See how far you can go comfortably with your feet pointing ahead. You may end up (if your good) balancing on the insides of your foot but they will still be pointing dead ahead. When you get to where you can go no further.....use the seat of the chair to help get you back up, using your arms and hands.(carefully!).

(e) try doing bodyweight RDL's at random thru the day.....not fast!....go nice and slow.

(f) try balancing on one leg in the "crane ' stance for 20 seconds or so on a random basis. (save the calf-stretch for after).

(g) try a quad stretch:- Kneel with your knees underneath you on the carpet. Now slowly (and I mean slowly) lean back with your torso using your arms on the floor for support. ONLY GO AS FAR BACK AS YOUR PELVIS AND QUAD MUSCLES WILL ALLOW YOU....DO NOT LET YOUR TORSO KEEP GOING BACK, THINKING YOU'LL GET A BETTER STRETCH......YOU WON'T!.....DON'T OVERDO IT!.....GO VERY SLOWLY WITH NOT MUCH PRESSURE....A LITTLE GOES A LONG WAY ON THIS ONE...:)....and don't do this one before you work out your legs....do it after.

Great advice, thanks!

I have the improper tracking issue and haven't done squats in months because of it. the closest I get to lower body work is SLDL's.

My understanding was that if you do squats and deads correctly, they are all you need to do for balanced leg development. Am I to assume my squat form was off, that the strength difference in my squats and deads was too far off (250lb squat & 320lb dead), or what?

My knees have been aching less and less, but I'm still waiting until they're 100% to try anything that would stress them. If biking or ellipticals will actually help, though, I'll do it. I just want to make sure I don't re-injure my knees by not correcting my squats/deads or whatever the case may be.

Depending on the style of squat you do will affect what goes on in the kneecaps.

The age old advice is to squat with your knees past shoulder width with your toes pointed out slightly.

Just about the same age old advice is given for the garden-variety Dead.

On Sumos and Powerlift squats you're even wider in stance.

Doing these same stances over and over again can play havoc with more than a few people's Patella's and knee cap tracking.

The only time you basically see squatting with Legs closer together is on the Leg Press.....and as we all know ...when you do that you hit a different part of the Quad muscle group more.....which tends to balance things out to some extent.

I wouldn't put all my eggs in one basket for Legs by thinking that Squats and Deads are all I need.

Maybe that's all a BB'er needs.....but a BB'er is basically a muscular store mannequin with less than impressive athletic or functional capability.

For total leg development for BB'ers I would go with a good mix of moves like:-

Pistol squats
One-leg RDL's
One-Leg Deads
One-leg Speedskater Squat.
One-leg Just-About-Anything on a Bosu Ball.
Bulgarian Split Squat.
Walking Lunge.

Plus:- any activity on a Wobble or Roller board.

to name a few.

I do "Crane" one-leg balancing at random times every day.....just to spice things up (amongst other things).

RDL's are damn good for the Hams....I incorporate those into a bodyweight stretch all the time....although I don't list them in my journal (there's quite a bit I don't list in my journal BTW).


You don't need to hit the bike or eliptical very hard to rehab the tracking......intensity or load is not the issue here. It's the plane of movement.

:confused: Hmmm... My knees were fine until I went too heavy on a set of bulgarians, so I'm wary of single joint leg work now. I'm definitely going to get going on the cardio as a rehab, ASAP.

I did vary my squat stances, but my stance for my deads was always with feet shoulder width and toes pointing straight ahead... That may have been what did it, then :doh:

Could be....you almost never see people doing deads with their feet pointing straight ahead.

I think that position would be a mistake on deads, becuse although your feet are straight ahead your legs and knees are not.....just thinking about doing them that way makes me cringe....:cry:

Maybe you need to stay away from Bulgarians and such right now if your knees are not back up to snuff yet...

I wasn't talking "weighted" before BTW..

The unweighted single-leg Speedskater Squat should be fine....but if it isn't....don't do it.

The Leg-curl ex is good for the knees too....works the tendons behind the knee.

I don't do those per se as part of my routine very often.....but I often slap on a couple of ankle weights and do them standing up while I've got a moment at other times....just to get the bloodflow and the tendon action....usually high rep.

I do stuff all day long in the way of moves and stretches for legs when I get a chance.

:)