Want an exercise that’s easy to do but works your entire body? Give high stepping a try! This move may look basic, but don’t be fooled – high stepping packs a serious punch.
In this blog post, we’ll explore all the awesome benefits you can get from adding high steps to your workout routine.
Get ready to break a sweat and feel the burn from head to toe! High-stepping is a super versatile exercise that combines cardio and strength training.
It gets your heart rate up while also working your legs, core, and even arms. Plus, it improves coordination and balance.
Whether you’re looking to lose weight, build muscle, or just boost your overall fitness, high stepping delivers.
Read on to learn more about this killer exercise and how to incorporate it into your fitness plan.
Table of Contents
What Exactly Is High Stepping?
High stepping is a super simple exercise move, but don’t let that fool you – it’s an awesome total-body workout.
The basic idea is that you’re marching in place, but really driving those knees up high toward your hips with an exaggerated stepping motion.
There are a few different variations you can try:
High Knees: This is the classic high stepping move. You’re basically marching in place, raising each knee up as high as you can with each step. Pump your arms to help power the movement.
Butt Kicks: Instead of driving your knees straight up, you’re kicking your heels up toward your butt. This really works your hamstrings and butt muscles.
Speed Skaters: This lateral version has you stepping out to the side, bringing that trailing knee up while keeping your plant leg bent. It’s kind of like mimicking a speed skater’s stride from side-to-side.
You can do high steps just standing in place, or you can actually travel forward, backward, or side-to-side as you’re stepping.
Going forward is great for warm-ups, while the speed skater version is an awesome agility challenge.
The higher you bring those knees up, the more intense the move becomes. Start low until you build up strength and stamina. Go at your own pace!
10 Powerful Benefits of High Stepping Exercise
Alright, now that we’ve covered what high stepping actually is, let’s dive into why it’s such an amazing exercise to incorporate into your fitness routine.
This simple movement packs some serious benefits – here are 10 big reasons to give high stepping a try:
1. High Stepping Exercise is a Full Body Workout
One of the benefits of high stepping exercise is that, it is a full body workout. What that means is that high stepping lights up your entire body from head to toe.
You’re working your legs by driving those knees up, firing up your core to stay stable and upright, and even getting your arms involved by vigorously pumping them.
It’s a killer full-body conditioning move that engages multiple muscle groups at the same time. That’s a much better calorie burn than just simple walking or running.
Getting that total-body workout is a clutch for building strength and endurance all over.
2. High Stepping Exercise Improves Cardiovascular Fitness
In addition to being a strength training move, high stepping also qualifies as a vigorous cardio exercise.
All that marching and knee driving really gets your heart rate soaring, which helps improve overall cardiovascular fitness.
Working your heart and lungs like this pays off in so many ways. You’ll build greater stamina, have more energy for daily activities, and reduce your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and other cardiovascular issues down the road. That’s a huge win! Isn’t it?
3. High Stepping Exercise Increases Leg Strength & Power
Those high knees aren’t just for show – they’re seriously firing up your leg muscles with each exaggerated step.
High stepping hits all the major muscle groups in your legs, like your quads, hamstrings, and calves.
Working these muscles leads to increased strength and power for improved speed and athletic performance.
You’ll develop a stronger stride, which can help you run faster and jump higher. Your legs will feel powerful! And I’m sure this is what you want.
4. High Stepping Exercise Tones Your Core Muscles
Another awesome benefit of high-stepping is that it’s a low-key ab workout in disguise! Think about it – you’ve got to really engage and twist through your core to keep your torso upright and stable as you’re driving those knees up.
All that core activation from fighting against the twisting motion is an incredible way to work and tone your obliques (those muscles along the sides of your abdominals).
You’ll also fire up the muscles of your entire midsection to maintain perfect posture.
The end result is a stronger, more chiseled core. And we all know that a strong, stable core provides a ton of benefits like better posture, improved balance and stability, and fewer nagging back issues.
Your six-pack will be popping! Is that not what you want?
5. High Stepping exercise is Low Impact But High Intensity
Here’s a benefit that makes high-stepping appealing for basically anyone: it’s a low-impact exercise that’s still high-intensity.
Since your feet never fully leave the ground, there’s minimal jarring impact on your joints.
But just because it’s low-impact doesn’t mean it’s a walk in the park. High-stepping will still have you breathing hard and working up a serious sweat with its fast, explosive movements.
It’s the perfect option if you’re looking to crank up the intensity without punishing your knees, ankles or hips.
Whether you’re recovering from injury, getting older and want to take it easier on your joints, or just hate high-impact exercises, high stepping lets you get it done without unnecessary pounding.
6. High Stepping Exercise Boosts Agility & Coordination
High stepping isn’t just some mindless marching in place. It actually requires solid coordination and body control to do it properly.
Think about it: you’ve got to keep your body upright and stable while vigorously driving your knees up toward your chest.
At the same time, your arms are pumping in opposition to propel that movement. It’s a full-body dance!
Nailing that fluid, alternating pattern of opposite arm and leg movement is key for improving agility and coordination. You’re challenging your mind-body connection in a big way.
The lateral variations, like those of speed skaters, are even tougher. Having to change direction so quickly from side to side while keeping perfect form is an agility skill that translates to better balance, mobility, and overall stability.
So whether you’re an athlete looking to improve your sports performance or just want to feel steady on your feet, high stepping’s coordination component provides a stealth brain & body boost.
7. High Stepping Exercise Enhances Mental Focus
Speaking of working that brain, high-stepping also does wonders for sharpening your mental focus and clearing your headspace. It’s actually kind of meditative!
With so much coordination required, you have to really zero in and concentrate on nailing the movement pattern.
No zoning out allowed! This forces you to be fully present and engaged in the moment.
That connected mind-body flow state can be incredibly grounding and refreshing for your mental well-being.
You’ll feel more centered and positive as you step away from all the mental chatter and distractions of day-to-day life.
Consider it a moving meditation that calms your mind while still giving you a killer cardio burn.
Your body and brain will both feel energized afterward!
8. High Stepping Exercise Can Be Done Anywhere
Here’s one of the beautiful things about high stepping: it’s an exercise you can literally do anywhere with zero equipment required. As long as you’ve got a few feet of space to march in place, you’re good to go!
Want to get in a quick cardio burst at home? Throw on some running shoes and bust out some high knees in your living room during a TV break.
Stuck working late at the office? Step away from your desk and do a few sets of butt kicks to re-energize.
You can even take your high-stepping workout outdoors to your local park or trail. The fresh air and change of scenery make it feel less like an intentional “exercise.”
No need for any fancy equipment or a gym membership. Just you, your body, and the will to move! Talk about ultimate convenience for squeezing in some activity.
9. High Stepping Exercise Is Versatile
Another awesome thing about high-stepping is that it’s crazy versatile and can be worked into just about any workout routine in a bunch of different ways.
Use it as an active warm-up by doing a few minutes of high knees before strength training. Or make it your main event with longer, dedicated intervals as a cardio blast.
You can even slide it into HIIT-style circuit training by alternating high steps with other moves like mountain climbers or jump rope.
The intensity is also fully adjustable. Go at a slower controlled pace or jack up the speed for more power. Add resistance bands around your ankles for an extra challenge. The variations are endless!
It’s the perfect multi-purpose exercise to add to your fitness arsenal. A truly versatile move that can make any workout routine more fun and challenging.
10. High Stepping Exercise Burns Tons of Calories
Last but definitely not least, let’s talk about the calorie-torching power of high-stepping. This exercise is an amazing option if you’re looking to burn maximum calories in minimal time.
As a high-intensity full-body exercise, high-stepping absolutely blasts your cardiovascular system and ramps up your metabolic rate during the workout itself.
But that’s not all; it also keeps those calories burning at an elevated rate for hours after the workout is complete.
So not only are you torching a ton in that 20–30 minute window, but you’re also benefiting from a nice afterburn effect where your body is working overtime to recover and repair muscle.
More calories out is the simple math for weight loss and lean muscle building.
Between spiking your heart rate, engaging major muscle groups, and that delightful afterburn, high-stepping is about as efficient as it gets for maximum calorie burn!
How to Get Started with High-Step Exercises
Hopefully, by now, I may have been able to convince you to hop on the high-stepping train! This exercise is too good to pass up. But where should you actually begin?
My advice is to start slow and simply focus on nailing the proper form first. There’s a bit of a technique to it beyond just marching in place.
Really think about driving those knees up toward hip height, keeping your core braced, and pumping those arms. Having the right movement pattern down will allow you to get the most from the exercise.
Once you’ve got the hang of it, start incorporating some basic high-knee marches into your warm-up routine. Even just 30–60 seconds at a time is enough to get your muscles fired up before diving into your main workout.
From there, you can experiment with butt kicks, speed skaters, and other variations to increase the challenge. Or extend the high step intervals to 1-2 minutes at a time as a dedicated cardio burst.
The beauty is that you can make high-stepping as easy or intense as you want. A total beginner? Go at a slow, controlled pace. Want more of a challenge? Crank up that speed and exaggerate those movements.
You can even grab some light resistance bands and loop them around your ankles to add extra resistance. Simply peeling them apart as you march instantly amps up the effort.
The key is to have fun with it and not overdo it too quickly. Master the basics, then start leveling up the intensity each session. Before you know it, high stepping will become a staple in your fitness routine!
Conclusion:
There you have it, friends—10 big-time reasons why you should start high-stepping ASAP if you aren’t already! This sneakily simple exercise checks just about every box.
It’s a full-body sculpting and cardio move that’s low-impact but high-intensity. You’ll build strength and endurance while getting in a steamy sweat sesh.
Not to mention all the sweet bonuses like improved coordination, mental focus, and mega calorie burn.
Honestly, what’s not to love?
So next time you’re looking to take your workouts up a notch, skip the treadmill and start marching it out with some high knees, butt kicks, and speed skaters. Your body (and mind!) will thank you.