A low impact workout at home for bad knees can build leg, hip, and calf strength without jumping, running, or deep squats. The routine below uses a chair for support, a small range of motion you control, and moves that strengthen the muscles around the knee instead of pounding the joint itself.
After reading, you will have a 20 to 25 minute routine, a simple weekly plan, and clear rules for when to progress, modify, or stop.
What Low Impact Actually Means for Your Knees
Low impact is exercise where at least one foot stays on the floor, or the body is supported, so there is no jumping or hard landing. Low impact does not mean low effort. You can work hard by slowing the movement, adding a pause, or using more repetitions, while keeping the landing force low.
The CDC lists brisk walking, cycling, swimming, water exercise, dancing, and tai chi as joint-friendly activities that put no or low stress on the joints, according to its guidance on physical activity and arthritis. At home, the same principle applies to strength work: choose moves where you control the bend in your knee and can stop at any point.
This approach is useful because strong thigh, hip, and calf muscles help support the knee during everyday tasks such as walking, climbing a step, and standing up from a chair. Strength work does not need deep knee bending to do that job.
Check First Before You Start This Routine
This routine is general information for adults with achy, stiff, or weak knees, not a diagnosis or a personal treatment plan. If your knee is recently injured, hot and swollen, locked so it will not straighten, gives way repeatedly, or hurts after a fall, get medical advice before exercising it.
If you have had knee surgery, have a replacement, or a clinician has given you specific restrictions, follow those restrictions first and ask a doctor or physical therapist which of these moves fit you.
Stop a move for sharp, stabbing, or increasing joint pain, new swelling, or a feeling of instability. Mild muscle effort and mild, short-lived discomfort can happen when you start something new, but the exercise should not leave you significantly worse.
The Rules That Keep a Knee-Friendly Workout Knee-Friendly
Start with a range that feels controlled, because a shallower, clean repetition helps you more than a deeper one you have to force. Use a sturdy chair, counter, or wall for balance on every standing move. Wear flat, closed shoes or train on a non-slip surface, and keep the chair against a wall so it cannot slide.
Warm up for 3 to 5 minutes before the main routine. March gently in place, do seated marching, or walk around your home at an easy pace, then move each knee slowly through a comfortable bend and straighten, such as with heel slides. The warm-up raises your body temperature and gives you a first check on how your knees feel today.
Use the next day as feedback. Newcastle Hospitals NHS advises people with hip and knee osteoarthritis not to continue exercises that significantly increase pain or swelling, and notes that pain after exercise should not be significantly worse and should settle within the next couple of hours, according to its osteoarthritis hip and knee leaflet. If you are much sorer the next morning, the dose was too high, not a sign you need to push harder.
The 20-Minute Low Impact Workout at Home for Bad Knees
Do this routine as a circuit of seven moves, resting as needed between them, then repeat the circuit once if your knees responded well the first time through. Aim for slow control: about 2 to 3 seconds to lift or lower, a short pause, and normal breathing throughout.
You need a sturdy chair, a cushion or folded towel, and a clear floor space. No weights are required to start.
| Exercise | Start with | Main muscles | Make it easier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quad set | 8 reps, hold 5 seconds, each leg | Front of thigh | Press down more gently, shorten the hold |
| Straight leg raise | 6 to 10 reps each leg | Front of thigh and hip | Bend the knee slightly, lift lower |
| Heel slide | 8 reps each leg | Back of thigh, knee mobility | Slide through a smaller range |
| Glute bridge | 8 to 12 reps | Glutes and back of thigh | Lower your hips sooner, reduce the hold |
| Sit-to-stand from a high chair | 6 to 10 reps | Thighs and glutes | Use a higher chair and your hands for help |
| Standing hamstring curl | 8 reps each leg | Back of thigh | Bend the knee less |
| Supported calf raise | 10 to 15 reps | Calves and ankles | Do it seated, or use both hands for balance |
1. Quad set
Lie on your back or sit with one leg straight and a folded towel under that knee. Pull your toes toward you and press the back of your knee down into the towel by tightening the front of your thigh.
Hold for 5 seconds, then relax fully before the next repetition. This move trains the quadriceps, the large muscles on the front of the thigh, without bending the knee under load.
2. Straight leg raise
Lie on your back with one knee bent and that foot flat, and the other leg straight. Tighten the thigh of the straight leg first, then lift it to about the height of the bent knee, roughly 30 cm (12 in).
Pause briefly, then lower it slowly without letting it drop. If your back arches a lot, lift lower or place your hands under your hips for support. NHS knee programmes include this move for thigh strengthening, with a short hold at the top, as shown in this Lie on your back with both legs straight, wearing socks on a smooth floor or with a small towel under one heel. Slide that heel toward you as far as feels comfortable, bending the knee slowly. Pause, then slide back out to straight. This is a mobility move, not a stretch to force, so stay inside a range you can reverse without pulling with your hands. Lie on your back with knees bent, feet flat and hip-width apart, arms by your sides. Squeeze your glutes and lift your hips until your shoulders, hips, and knees form a roughly straight line. Hold for 2 to 3 seconds, then lower one vertebra at a time. Bridges help because the glutes control how your thigh lines up when you walk and stand, which affects how load passes through the knee. Sit near the front of a sturdy, higher chair with your feet flat, about hip-width apart. Lean forward slightly from your hips, press through your whole foot, and stand up, using the chair arms or a counter if you need help. Sit back down slowly, reaching your hips back to the chair instead of dropping. A higher seat reduces how far your knees need to bend, which is why this version works better than a low sofa for most people starting out. NHS guidance for knee strengthening includes sit-to-stand and heel raises in a similar supported format, according to this NHS guide to preparing for knee replacement. Stand tall holding a chair or counter, with both knees soft. Bend one knee and bring your heel toward your buttock through a comfortable range, keeping your thighs roughly in line. Lower the foot slowly. Move only the lower leg, rather than leaning forward or swinging, so the back of the thigh does the work. Stand with your fingertips on a chair or counter and your feet hip-width apart. Rise up onto the balls of your feet as high as feels steady. Pause at the top, then lower your heels to the floor with control. Calves help with walking, balance, and standing up from a chair, and this move loads them without bending the knee deeply. Finish with 1 to 2 minutes of easy seated marching or a slow walk around the room. Let your breathing settle before you stretch. Adults should aim over time for at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity and muscle-strengthening activity on 2 or more days a week, according to the WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. The CDC gives the same broad targets for adults with arthritis, and notes that activity can be broken into short sessions of just 5 or 10 minutes, according to its physical activity and arthritis guidance. You do not need to reach that total in week one. Start below your limit and add a little only when the previous week settled well. That could mean adding 2 repetitions, a second round, or 5 minutes of walking. Strengthening on non-consecutive days gives the muscles time to recover. Newcastle Hospitals NHS also advises practising strengthening exercises at least 2 times per week with a day of rest in between, in its osteoarthritis guidance. Low-impact cardio at home is any rhythmic movement that raises your breathing a little while keeping at least one foot on the floor. You should be able to speak in short sentences, but not sing comfortably. That is a practical check for moderate effort. Choose based on your knees and your space: Work in 3 to 5 minute blocks with a minute of easy movement between them. Short blocks let you check your pain response before fatigue changes your form. Some common home exercises load the knee in ways that many people with bad knees do not tolerate at first. Modifying them is not avoiding exercise. It is choosing a version you can repeat consistently. Common mistakes that undo an otherwise good plan include adding reps and resistance on the same day, never resting between strength days, and only stretching while skipping strengthening. Another frequent error is using a chair that slides, rolls, or is too low, which turns a balance aid into a fall risk. Progress one thing at a time, because that tells you what your knee did or did not tolerate. First add 2 repetitions per set for a week. Then add a second round if you have not already, slow the lowering phase to 3 to 4 seconds, or add a light resistance band or a small water bottle for the bridge and calf raise only if the basic version is pain-free during and after. Ease off by reversing the same steps. Raise the chair with a cushion, shorten the range, cut the repetitions in half, remove resistance, or split the routine into two shorter parts of the day. If a single move is the problem, replace it rather than dropping the whole session: swap the straight leg raise for quad sets, or the sit-to-stand for bridges, for example. Keep a one-line note after each session: the routine, how your knees felt during it, and how they felt the next morning. That record is more useful than memory when you decide whether to progress. It depends on the type and level of pain that day. Gentle mobility such as heel slides and short, easy movement may be reasonable when you are stiff, but skip or reduce strength work if you have sharp pain, marked swelling, heat, or a knee that feels unstable, and get advice if those symptoms persist or keep returning. No, not as a movement pattern, because standing up from a chair is a squat pattern you need for daily life. The version matters: a shallow sit-to-stand from a high chair, with support and a range you control, is very different from a deep bodyweight squat done fast when you are tired. No, bodyweight, gravity, and a slower tempo are enough to start, and you can make most of these moves harder without equipment. Bands or light weights become useful only after you can do the basic version with good form, no sharp pain, and no significant increase in pain or swelling afterwards. For many people, walking on a flat, even surface in supportive shoes is a joint-friendly option, and it is listed as one by the CDC. Start with a distance you finish feeling you could have done a little more, and shorten the walk or split it into blocks if you start to limp or your knee swells afterwards. Train both legs, but dose them separately. Do fewer repetitions, use a smaller range, or add more hand support on the more painful side, and do not force it to match the stronger leg, because uneven effort often changes your form and loads the better leg in an awkward way. This guide is based on the WHO 2020 physical activity guidelines and the CDC and NHS guidance on arthritis, osteoarthritis, and knee strengthening linked above. It does not claim testing, expert review, or personal results, and it is not a substitute for advice tailored to your knee.3. Heel slide
4. Glute bridge
5. Sit-to-stand from a high chair
6. Standing hamstring curl
7. Supported calf raise
A Simple Weekly Plan to Build Up Without Doing Too Much, Too Soon
Day Session Monday Strength routine above, 1 to 2 rounds Tuesday 10 to 20 minutes of easy walking or seated marching, in short blocks if needed Wednesday Rest or gentle heel slides and calf stretches only Thursday Strength routine above, 1 to 2 rounds Friday 10 to 20 minutes of low-impact cardio at home Saturday Optional easy walk or a repeat of the strength routine if you have had a rest day since Thursday Sunday Rest Low-Impact Cardio at Home When You Cannot Walk Outside
Moves to Modify or Skip for Now, and What to Do Instead
If this bothers you Try this instead Why it helps Deep squats Sit-to-stand from a high chair Same standing-up pattern, less knee bend Forward lunges Standing hamstring curl or a very small step-back with support Trains the leg without driving the front knee into a deep bend Jumping jacks or jump squats Step-touch or seated marching Raises heart rate with no landing Kneeling exercises Standing or lying versions of the same move Removes direct pressure on the front of the knee Low sofa sit-to-stands Add a firm cushion to raise the seat A higher start makes the move easier to control How to Progress When a Move Feels Too Easy, and How to Ease Off
Bad-Knee Workout Questions, Answered Straight
Should I exercise if my knees hurt today?
Are squats banned if I have bad knees?
Do I need weights or resistance bands?
Is walking good for bad knees?
What if one knee is much worse than the other?
Related Home Workouts
How This Guide Was Put Together
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