Healthy Joints, Better Training: Here’s How

Strong and healthy joints form the foundation for peak performance, whether you need to make quick movements, sustain prolonged effort, or deliver powerful strikes.

In today’s blog:

  • Healthy joints: Why is joint stability essential for building true athletic strength?

  • Best exercises: What exercises can improve joint health without adding strain?

  • Around the stadium: The Impact of Strength Training on Joint Health, Mobility Training and Balance Improvement, and more

IN OUR MAILBOX

Each week, we dive into one reader's question that many athletes can relate to. Today’s focus? Mobility, joint health, and how to keep your body pain-free during workouts.

Have a question of your own? We’d love to hear it! Just send it to [email protected], and you might see it featured here in a future edition.

I’ve been training Muay Thai for a few months now, and while I’m building muscle, my joints—especially my ankles and knees—feel weak. They crack a lot, and there’s mild pain. I’m putting in the effort, but I don’t feel the athletic strength I expected. How can I improve my joint health and truly feel like an athlete inside and out?

Why This Matters to You

Whether you are a fighter, runner, or soccer player, strong joints are essential for every movement you make. They form the foundation of strength and endurance and help prevent injuries.

ON YOUR MARK

How to Keep Your Joints Healthy as an Athlete?

Healthy joints form the foundation of every athletic movement. In Explosive-based sports like Muay Thai, joints act as hinges for movement and stabilize the power of punches, kicks, and twists.

If these joints are weak, movements can become less effective and even painful. Moreover, it increases the risk of injuries, which can limit your performance in the long term.

However, joints are not inherently strong—like muscles, they need to be trained and maintained to withstand the demands of intensive training. What makes joints so vulnerable?

Unlike muscles, which build relatively quickly through strength training, joints, and the surrounding connective tissue require time and consistency to become stronger.

Tendons and ligaments need time to adapt to heavier loads, especially with increased training intensity. Rushing this process can lead to overuse, microtrauma, or serious injuries like sprains and tears.

Therefore, training your joints in a targeted and controlled manner is essential to build stability and strength without overloading them.

healthy joints, however, are not only important for Martial Arts athletes…

In endurance sports, such as running and cycling, the continuous repetition of movements places significant strain on the joints, especially the knees and ankles.

Without a solid foundation of joint stability and mobility, you risk injuries that can require weeks or even months of recovery. Strong joints help you move more efficiently, allowing you to train longer and more safely.

Endurance athletes: Daily mobility exercises like ankle circles and knee bends strengthen the joints for long efforts. This helps prevent stiffness and reduces the risk of overuse injuries from repetitive movements.

Team sport athletes: Stabilization exercises for knees and ankles, such as single-leg balance work, aid in dynamic movements like turning and jumping. This prepares the joints for the quick and unpredictable actions in team sports.

Strength athletes: By using controlled technique and gradually increasing load, joints are protected from overuse. Progressive overload strengthens the joints and helps prevent injuries during heavy lifts.

GET SET

The three best exercises for pain-free joints

  1. Simple Mobility and Stabilization Exercises

    Stand on one leg and make controlled rotational movements with the foot and ankle, keeping the knee slightly bent. This improves your balance and ankle stability.

    • For Muay Thai athletes: Add jumps and land softly to train stability in combat.

    • For endurance runners: Keep the movements slower and focus on control to maintain ankle mobility during long distances.

    • For team sport athletes: Add lateral movements to strengthen ankle stability during pivots.

  1. Excentric Squats
    Perform a squat, but take extra time (4–5 seconds) when lowering down, and bending your knees and hips in a controlled manner. This strengthens the tendons and ligaments around the knees.

    •  For Muay Thai athletes: Add an explosive jump at the end to promote power and explosiveness.

    • For strength athletes: Perform the squat with a lightweight load for additional resistance.

    • For team sport athletes: Focus on speed in the upward movement to train reactive strength.

  1. Hip Bridge with One Leg
    Lie on your back, bend one knee, and push your hips up by supporting yourself on one foot. Keep your back and hips straight. This promotes hip stability and strengthens the knee and ankle through stabilization.

    • For endurance runners: Hold each rep longer to train stability and increase control.

    • For Muay Thai athletes: Add rotations to challenge hip stability in combat situations.

    • For strength athletes: Use light resistance by placing a weight on your pelvis.

GO

Question 1: What is one habit you can start this week to support your joint health?

Question 2: How could you adjust your current training routine to strengthen your joints and prevent injuries?

AROUND THE STADIUM

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DISCLAIMER: None of the content provided in this newsletter constitutes medical, training, or performance advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not intended to be a substitute for professional guidance or personalized coaching. Please be mindful of your limitations and perform exercises at your own risk.