Knee work outs?
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The best way to strengthen knee cartilage is to exercise it with progressively challenging resistance training.
A Swedish study in the November 2005 issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism found that moderate exercise may help strengthen knee cartilage and improve joint symptoms and function in people with knee osteoarthritis.
Although you don't have any issues with your knees, simply working them with resistance training may increase the strength of cartilage and help prevent future injuries
The study suggests that human cartilage responds to physiologic loading in a way similar to that exhibited by muscle and bone.
In the gym, start with light movements in the higher rep range to help encourage the strengthening of connective tissue. Doing cycles of lighter, higher-rep resistance training followed by periods of heavy weight work followed by an "active rest" cycle (this is a period when you do very light, but challenging resistance training), can help prevent you from overtraining and overtaxing your joints.
In terms of diet, besides eating clean (low to moderate "good fat", moderate to high protein and plenty of complex carbs), you might consider supplementing both fish oil capsules and Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate as a preventative measure. The Omega 3s in fish oil have strong anti-inflammatory properties and can help your recover from demanding workouts than may cause stress on connective tissue. The Glucosamine is a form of amino sugar that is believed to play a role in cartilage formation and repair. Chondroitin sulfate is part of a large protein molecule (proteoglycan) that gives cartilage elasticity
Of course, you should always talk with your doctor before supplementing because they can sometimes interact with other medicatoins or aggravate pre-existing conditions.
Best of luck!
A great thing to do for your knees is to walk on the tredmil. Have it set at an incline of 8 and walking for 30 minutes at a minimum of 3.5 miles per hour.
Good luck, I hope this helps.
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