Squats should strengthen your knees. Proper form will prevent excessive sheering force and risk of injury should be low with gradual weight increase.
edit: But here’s a common beginner injury and how to avoid it
A common injury (usually just a discomfort, rarely injury) new lifters sometimes experience is patellar instability. It happens when there’s an imbalance in the strength of the muscles holding the patella in position — the patella is the bone covering the front of the joint. Usually the instability resolves within a few sessions as the muscles strengthen, but to prevent discomfort or injury you can wear a knee strap or brace. (The strap is just a velcro band with a plastic/rubber tube on the front. The brace is a full-coverage support that isolates the movement.)
edit: Knees don’t get used up. In fact, using them allows more use.
Absent severe injuries or joint-related diseases, a “bad knee” is only ever a temporary condition. There’s a common myth that knees can be used up, which is the opposite of how the knees (and most of your joints) work.
Continuous use actually makes knees stronger, better lubricated, more resistant to injury, etc. It even speeds up recovery from injuries and prevents formation of scar tissue. This is why physical therapists use the active recovery techniques that patients love so much ;)
I wonder if squatting while lifting weights (gym) is also a speedrun to bad knees, or whether that actually does improvements
Squats should strengthen your knees. Proper form will prevent excessive sheering force and risk of injury should be low with gradual weight increase.
edit: But here’s a common beginner injury and how to avoid it
A common injury (usually just a discomfort, rarely injury) new lifters sometimes experience is patellar instability. It happens when there’s an imbalance in the strength of the muscles holding the patella in position — the patella is the bone covering the front of the joint. Usually the instability resolves within a few sessions as the muscles strengthen, but to prevent discomfort or injury you can wear a knee strap or brace. (The strap is just a velcro band with a plastic/rubber tube on the front. The brace is a full-coverage support that isolates the movement.)
edit: Knees don’t get used up. In fact, using them allows more use.
Absent severe injuries or joint-related diseases, a “bad knee” is only ever a temporary condition. There’s a common myth that knees can be used up, which is the opposite of how the knees (and most of your joints) work.
Continuous use actually makes knees stronger, better lubricated, more resistant to injury, etc. It even speeds up recovery from injuries and prevents formation of scar tissue. This is why physical therapists use the active recovery techniques that patients love so much ;)
It 100% improves your knees. Even half squats or bad form will still strengthen your knees, it will just fuck up your back if you do it wrong.