Do Squats Strengthen Your Knees?

Regularly performing exercises that strengthen the muscles surrounding the knee joint help reduce painful knee symptoms caused by arthritis and may significantly slow down progression of the disease. The squat is a great compound movement that does exactly this by toning up the front thigh muscles (quadriceps), back thigh muscles (hamstrings), and glutes. Because it exercises so many large muscle groups, the squat has even been called the King of all Exercises.

Here’s how to perform the squat safely to maximize your gains and minimize risk of injury: