First: when not to train through it
Everything below is for the everyday, nagging kind of knee pain. Get it checked by a GP or physiotherapist before training if:
- the pain started with a specific injury, a twist or a pop;
- the knee is swollen, hot, locks, or gives way;
- you can’t put weight on it, or the pain is getting steadily worse.
Once serious problems are ruled out, training is usually part of the solution rather than the problem.
Why resting it often doesn’t fix it
Knees tend to complain when the load going through them is more than they are currently prepared for. Stopping everything removes the load, but it also removes the strength that protects the joint — so the pain comes back as soon as normal life resumes. The aim is to find a level of loading the knee tolerates, then build from there.
The approach I use
1. Find today’s tolerable level
A useful rule of thumb: some discomfort during an exercise is acceptable if it stays mild and settles by the next day. If it is worse the following morning, the dose was too high — not the exercise necessarily wrong.
2. Load the muscles around the knee
Quads, glutes and calves take a lot of the work off the joint. Early on that might mean box squats to a height that feels fine, split squats with a shorter range, step-ups, hip thrusts and calf raises. Depth and load increase as the knee allows.
3. Progress slowly and on purpose
One variable at a time — a little more weight, or a little more depth, or one more set. Not all three in the same week.
4. Look at the load outside the gym
Bodyweight, daily step count and sudden jumps in running all add up. For many people, a modest change in bodyweight noticeably reduces how much the knee complains on stairs.
A knee-friendly session
- Warm-up — five to ten minutes on a bike, which most sore knees tolerate well.
- Box squat — 3 sets of 8 to a height that feels fine.
- Split squat, short range — 3 sets of 6–8 each leg.
- Hip thrust — 3 sets of 10.
- Step-ups — 2–3 sets of 8 each leg on a low step.
- Calf raises — 3 sets of 12.
If an exercise flares the knee, change the range or the load before you drop it altogether.
Stairs, running and everyday life
Knee pain rarely lives only in the gym. Take stairs one at a time with a rail while it’s sore, and build back to normal. If you run, reduce the distance and hills for a while rather than stopping, and add back gradually as the strength work takes effect. Long periods of sitting can stiffen a sore knee, so short walks through the day often help.
How long until it improves?
It varies. Many people notice a difference within a few weeks of consistent, well-judged training, but steady improvement over a couple of months is more realistic. If the knee isn’t improving after a few weeks, or is getting worse, get it assessed by a GP or physiotherapist.
What this looked like for Stacey
Stacey came to me at King’s Cliffe with everyday knee pain. We trained around the knee rather than away from it — deliberate, progressive strength work — alongside a better understanding of food. Over six months she went from 95.1kg to 81kg and now trains pain-free. Read Stacey’s story.
Her result is hers — everyone’s knee is different — but the principle holds: most people with nagging knee pain need smarter loading, not no loading.
If your knee is the thing stopping you, book a free consultation and we’ll start with an assessment, not a workout.