lanthorn said: my knees are basically destroyed, so squats are pretty much out of the question (unless I have a desire to not be able to walk for a week), anything you might recommend to replace them that isn’t so tough on the ol’ knees?
It all depends on what the knee issue is. A good number of knee injuries can be circumvented with enough attention paid to proper form (sitting the hips back sufficiently, keeping the shins in an upright position and maintaining a strong arch) and slowly working to depth. Unfortunately, this can be a long and tedious process with many setbacks on the way, and can easily go astray without the guidance of a knowledgeable coach or PT.
There are some knee issues which will forever preclude fitness enthusiasts from squatting, and these are usually from acute injuries or genetic conditions. These are much more rare than people think, though. I see new clients all the time who say, “I will NEVER be able to squat!” And we’re squatting to depth, pain-free, by the end of day one. But again, it depends entirely on the particular situation, and it sounds like you’ve made a valiant effort, so my recommendation would to be to work on hamstring strengthening movements such as deadlifts (stiff-legged if you have to), good mornings and even basic hip bridges. If you have access to a glute-ham developer, those can be a fun addition, as well.
So why did I recommend three hamstring strengthening movements to a guy who asked for a squat replacement? Strength is an integral part of mobility, and if someone has a history of acute injury to a joint it is important to rebuild the muscular integrity of the area (provided they have gone through sufficient healing and rehab). I would also recommend a few more hip openers (perhaps the pigeon, spidermans, and the aforementioned sun salutation) and probably the compass (as demo’d here by Tav of Ritual Fitness).
