Running Doesn’t Ruin Knees—But This Does

What if the very activity you've been warned against is actually the best thing you can do for your knee health?

If you’ve ever been told running will ruin your knees, this episode is going to flip that idea on its head. I break down why so many people blame the wrong thing for their pain, what the science actually says about how knees adapt, and the real habits that cause most runners to struggle. You’ll learn the simple changes that protect your joints, help you recover better, and make your runs feel smoother and stronger over time. By the end, you’ll know exactly how to train in a way your body can handle—without guessing, overthinking, or falling into the traps that keep runners stuck.

Key Takeaways

1. Running isn't the problem for your knees; in fact, it helps strengthen them. The real issue comes from doing too much too soon and not allowing your body to recover properly.
2. You can protect your knees by slowly increasing your mileage and making your easy runs truly easy. Varying your runs, your shoes, and your surfaces also helps prevent repetitive stress.
3. Strong muscles support your knees, so strength training your glutes, hips, and quads is crucial. This helps your body handle impact so your knees don't have to take the full force.

Timestamps

• [00:31] The Amateur Knee Experts
• [01:26] Why is Sitting Worse For Your Knees Than Running?
• [02:40] Joints Are Built to Move, Not Sit
• [03:02] How To Run Without Hurting Your Knees
• [04:16] What Actually Protects Your Knees
• [05:16] Use This To Run Farther & Longer
• [05:43] Protect Your Knees By Training your posterior chain
• [06:35] Do This Thing In The Off-Season To Protect Your Knees Even Further

Links & Learnings

• 📈 Get your free run far and long with less effort training plan https://dlakecreates.com/basefree
• 🎧 Listen, read and learn more here https://dlakecreates.com/badforknees
• How to run far and long with less effort (base training) https://dlakecreates.com/base2
• Prevent & Fix your Runner’s Knee issue with this - https://dlakecreates.com/runnersknee
• Instagram – https://instagram.com/dlakecreates
• Strava – https://www.strava.com/athletes/120507

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