Creaking joints can regularly plague athletes who put a lot of work into their training.
Luckily, there are ways to build mobility and strength in joints to prevent pain from striking and limiting performance.
Here, Built for Athletes takes a look at seven body-weight exercises you can do.
Single-Leg Glute Bridge
For those who spend most of the day sitting behind a desk, the glute muscles can become switched off and need to be activated. Performing single-leg glute bridges can help to activate the muscles around the hips and knees.
45-Degree Incline Row
Building the rear delts is important for stabilising the shoulders when you go for heavy lifts that involve complicated techniques. A 45-degree incline row is one of the best exercises for strengthening that area.
Lateral Band Walk
Probably the most common exercise used to strengthen the hips is the lateral band walk. It helps to build strong abductor muscles which can help prevent against overuse injuries in particular.
Bulgarian Split Squat
The weight transfers over the top of the knee and ankle in the Bulgarian split squat, so you are targeting a number of lower-body joints, as well as working unilaterally to address imbalances.
Push-Up
Push-ups are an effective way of strengthening the shoulder muscles without putting a heavy load on the body.
Cable External Rotation
The rotator cuffs can come under a lot of wear and tear when lifting heavy, so performing external rotation exercises in your warm-up is a good way of activating them. A cable is a useful source of resistance.
Walking Lunges
Walking lunges again help ankle and knee stability and are often favored because of the fact they are is functional movement involved. Balance is key so they can be handy for building core stability too.
