Knee pain is one of the most common problems people have when they start a training program.

I do lots of things to help fix it – strengthening leg muscles, prescribing low-inflammation diets, and most importantly: fixing exercise technique.

But you might not know that the Wold Fitness Functional Movement Warmup is also designed to eliminate knee pain.

(Our warmup is a series of physical therapy exercises strung together to mobilize your joints and activate your muscles.  This approach is far superior to the traditional “jog on the treadmill and stretch” warmup used by the aerobics instructor chunky thighs crowd)

Your knees are most affected by the joints immediately above and below them: your ankles and hips.

The best way to loosen your ankles is to do your warm-up in your bare feet.

Your hips are a little bit tougher.

A study at Purdue University (Knee Pain Reduced, Eliminated By Hip Exercises) found that hip exercise twice a week for 30 minutes almost totally eliminated knee pain in runners.

In my bootcamps we do variations on these exercises daily, but if you want to play along at home, here are 3 simple hip exercises that will help you get rid of knee pain:

1. Lateral Band Walks

If you get a stretch band to use at home, try doing 3 timed sets of one minute each, with 30 seconds of rest in between.

As one of my bootcampers describes it, you should feel like “bunny rabbits are gnawing on the sides of you hips.”

2. Fire Hydrants, In Hip Circles, Out Hip Circles

Do 30 seconds each position:

• 30 seconds Fire Hydrants
• 30 seconds In Hip Circles
• 30 seconds Out Hip Circles

The most common mistake on these drills is to lean to the side.  If your side butt muscles are weak and your hips are tight, you won’t get much movement at first.  Stick with it and your range will improve.

3. Glute Bridges

This exercise will both strengthen your butt muscles and get them “firing.”

Once your glutes are activated, they will work the way they are supposed to and keep your knees and low back in alignment.

Do three sets of ten reps each leg.

This hip circuit is perfect to do on your breaks or at lunchtime.  It will take less than 5 minutes and you won’t break a sweat, but the dividends to your knees will be enormous.

And, after a few weeks, you’ll have happy knees!