Shaky knees...

Hi everyone,

I have been going to the gym and have started to notice that when I do leg-ups or the extended leg exercises, my legs would shake quite violently when going back to resting position. I have no problems lifting smoothly and slowly, but when I bring my legs down my knees shake.

I am embarassed because the people around me would look at the noises the machine makes, but mostly because of the shaking in my legs.

I have also noticed that when I squat using one leg only, I would also shake. I can do two-legged squats fine but on either leg alone, not so good.

What is the problem? Am I doing the wrong exercises? Is there a way to prevent shaking or stregthen my knees (if that is the case)? Am I performing the exercises in the wrong manner?

I don't hyperextend my legs, I don't jerk up when doing the exercises...please help.:confused: :(
 
This could be 'natural' although shaking body parts usually indicate that weight overload; just because you can lift X pounds doesn't mean that your smaller muscles can manage it properly as well. For example a knowledgeable person who is capable of benching 150 will bench 130 while attempting the 150 bench once a week for power gain. This allows STABILIZER muscles to catch up. Don't get overly focused on weight moved. Sometimes on the final rep someone’s secondary muscle i.e. forearms may shake, yet this infrequent with the lower body. Since the knee is involved a ligament could have been damaged. A torn meniscus for example wont affect power output as much as a torn ACL because its a stabilizer, you may have 'water in the knees' or a weak spot. Perform a full squat and listen for any types of clicking and look for any knee pronation as these are indications of injury. For your sake, your ligaments are healthy and it’s simply your stabilizer muscles that need work.
 
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