[silisili]

How did you strengthen them in that scenario? We may be a little different as I've had surgery in both knees(ACL and MCL). I'm interested in doing leg work, but physically can't squat...at least yet.

[cheald]

I started by holding onto a stair bannister and squatting slooowly until I could actually get the full range of motion, then unsupported air squats, then I moved to an empty barbell. If you can't go straight to a barbell, or you have back/spine issues, belt squats are a great way to increase your workload as your capacity increases.

With those surgeries, starting under the supervision of a PT is a great idea, though. They'll know how to build you up safely.

[bratbag]

I started off with a light slam ball provided by my trainer. No squats in sight for the first few months!

Over the shoulder throws and ball slams were my leg exercises for a long time.

Edit: the main thing was having a good pt who was aware of my injuries. They could tell me when to stop and when to push.