A year ago, I used to work at a place that had concrete floors. I used to wear shitty flat soled skate shoes and my right knee would get really stiff by the end of the day, it would feel like I need to stretch it, but it wouldn’t really help. I got some good shoes and insoles and the issue went away very quickly.
A few weeks ago, I was doing front squats, and I had a stupid inclination to put a 2x4 under my heels to help get lower. It was a whim of the moment thing and I regret it. I did a set and my knees shot forward and after that my right knee immediately felt painful.
So I thought, “i’ll never use a 2x4 again” and went on with my day. Now, off and on, my right knee gets stiff, from what i believe is inflamation. Oddly, flatfooted squats ATG don’t seem to cause it - rather what does trigger it are lunges or other one leg exercises.
But my problem is, that I need to strengthen my knees and fix my left-right quad imbalances, and these call for single leg exercises. I’m investing in a set of knee sleeves, I warm up well, and I never use that damn 2x4 anymore.
Should I continue working my single leg exercises even though they cause the stiffness? I read the 18 Tips for Bulletproof Knees article and am incorporating stretching and hamstring work.