I would agree that lunges are a good way to go. When my father had both knees replaced (one at time) one of the things he worked towards was lunges. This was after he was healed up and at the end of his rehab when it was safe to do so but they really wanted to get to them.

I'm having a strange knee issue that I posted about in another thread and I am going to use lunges to see if it helps.

Very good suggestion 0311.

great info. but somethin caught my eye a 25 mile hike with 50lb packs on! :eek: thats insane i didnt think they were that hardcore!

Just like many other exercises, lunges can be done with whatever amount of weight that does the trick. If I was him (and I) I would start out with no weight to get the form down and slowly add weight from there. Many hold dumbells in their hands to help with balance but a bar across the shoulders is also the norm.

I know some guys hate them but: Use knee wraps

My illiterate self is having a hard time understanding 311's language. :mad:

Noone likes lunges. I used to hate them when they forced us to do them. But, Noone in my company ever had knee problems, and we survived well over a hundred hikes up and down the mountains of Camp Pendleton. You can either do them before you do cardio or after for a serious burn. I don't recommend doing them at warp speed, just very slow and controlled. You don't need wraps when it comes to doing them with your own bodyweight. Technically you could use dumbbells, but I recommend to just do more reps. Upon execution, once your legs are in place, one in front of the other, very very slowly start your decent. Go down only until you feel comfortable, usually until your leg is parallel with the ground.

Ron Coleman does walking lunges with 405 pounds, would any of us ever be able to beat that??