High knee workout is the ultimate fat-burning, muscle-toning solution you’ve been searching for. This dynamic routine requires zero equipment but delivers maximal results by targeting your entire lower body through intense, high-knee driving motions.
Whether you’re pressed for time or lack access to a gym, this high knee workout offers an incredibly efficient way to break a sweat and challenge your body right in the comfort of your own space.
By mastering proper high knee form and pushing yourself through invigorating intervals, you’ll skyrocket your heart rate into calorie-torching mode while strengthening and defining your quads, hamstrings, and calves.
Get ready to unleash your inner athlete and transform your fitness journey with this simple yet incredibly effective high knee workout at home!
Table of Contents
What Exactly Are High Knee Exercises?
At its core, the high knee movement mimics the exaggerated running motion you’d use when driving your knees up powerfully toward your chest.
It’s a plyometric exercise, meaning it involves explosive, powerful movements that put a heavy demand on your muscles.
While it looks simple on the surface, high knees are actually a advanced, full-body exercise. They work your cardiovascular system hard while targeting multiple major muscle groups:
- Quadriceps
- Hamstrings
- Glutes
- Core/abdominal muscles
- Shoulders & arms
By driving your knees up forcefully and pumping your arms, you’ll seriously get your heart pumping while strengthening and toning your entire body.
High knees also improve speed, agility, and explosiveness thanks to that powerful knee drive.
You can do high knees as a standalone exercise, integrate them into HIIT workouts, or even use them as a warm-up before strength training.
No matter how you incorporate them, you’re in for an intense, sweat-dripping cardio challenge!
Benefits of Doing High Knees At Home
There are countless benefits to adding high knee exercises to your at-home workout routine:
🔥 Major Calorie Burn High knees are a vigorous, explosive exercise that keeps your heart rate elevated, making them an excellent calorie-torcher. Exactly how many calories you’ll burn depends on factors like your weight and workout intensity, but you can expect to significantly boost your calorie deficit.
💪 Builds Cardio Fitness & Endurance
The high-impact nature of high knees makes them an awesome cardio exercise for improving overall fitness and endurance. This exercise gets your heart, lungs, and muscles working hard!
🦵 Strengthens Legs & Core While high knees are cardio-focused, they also double as a resistance exercise for building strong, toned legs and core strength. That powerful knee drive works your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and abs.
👟 Low Impact & Joint-Friendly Since high knees have you running in place rather than pounding forward, they’re lower impact and easier on your joints compared to regular running.
🏡 Accessible Home Workout One of the best benefits of high knees? You can do this effective calorie-crusher anytime, anywhere without any equipment! It’s the perfect at-home workout.
🌱 Easily Modifiable High knees can be regressed for beginners or progressed to make them even more challenging. This allows you to customize the intensity to your fitness level.
How to Do the Perfect High Knee Form
Proper form is crucial for getting the most from high knee exercises while preventing injury. Here’s how to nail the perfect high knee technique:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and core engaged. Keep your chest upright and head facing forward.
- Drive your right knee up powerfully toward your chest while simultaneously bringing your left arm forward. Focus on bringing that knee up as high as you can with your thigh parallel to the ground.
- Quickly switch legs, driving your left knee up while punching your right arm forward. Continue this exaggerated running motion, alternating knees and arm swings.
- Keep your upper body upright without leaning forward or back. Engage your core muscles to stay stable through your torso.
- Land lightly on the balls of your feet with a slight bend in the knee to absorb impact. Avoid slamming your heels down.
- Pump your arms vigorously in opposition to your legs with straight elbows bent at 90 degrees. Don’t let them flap wildly.
- Don’t sacrifice form to go faster. It’s better to move with control and get maximum knee height than rush through sloppy reps.
Getting that knee drive up while staying upright and avoiding excessive forward/backward lean is key. You should feel this exercise working your entire core while your quads, glutes, and calves fire with each knee raise.
Common High Knee Form Mistakes To Avoid
Even though the high knee motion is simple, there are some common technique flaws to watch out for:
Going Too Fast Don’t mindlessly rush through your reps by sacrificing good form. Slow it down and focus on controlled, powerful knee drives.
Not Bringing Knees Up High Enough To really work those muscles and elevate your heart rate, you need to drive those knees up with force until your thighs are parallel to the ground.
Leaning Upper Body Excessive forward or backward lean puts strain on your lower back. Maintain an upright, rigid torso by bracing your core.
Slapping Feet Down Loudly You should be landing softly on the balls of your feet to be lower impact, not smashing your heels down noisily.
Swinging Arms Wildly Your arm swings should be purposeful and controlled to help drive that knee lift, not flapping aimlessly.
Mastering this precise yet explosive movement with the proper muscle engagement is what makes high knees such an effective exercise. It may look easy, but there’s an art to nailing that perfect high knee form!
Sample High Knee Workout Routines for Home
Now that you’ve got the high knee form down, let’s look at some sample workout routines you can do at home using this versatile exercise:
HIIT High Knee Interval Workout
High knees lend themselves perfectly to high-intensity interval training (HIIT) protocols. This style of training alternates bursts of intense work with recovery periods, keeping your heart rate elevated for an incredible calorie burn.
Here’s a 20-minute HIIT high knee workout to try:
- 2 min warm-up (marching in place, arm circles, etc.)
- 30 sec high knees
- 30 sec rest
- 45 sec high knees
- 45 sec rest
- 60 sec high knees
- 60 sec rest
- Repeat circuit 2-3 times
- 2 min cool down
During the high knee intervals, go as hard and fast as you can with good form. On the rest periods, march in place or stop completely to catch your breath. You can adjust the work/rest intervals as needed based on your fitness level.
Low Impact Beginner High Knee Routine
If you’re just starting out or need a lower impact option, try this beginner-friendly high knee routine at home:
- 2-3 min warm-up march
- 30 sec high knees
- 30 sec march in place
- 45 sec high knees
- 45 sec march
- 60 sec high knees
- 60 sec march
- Repeat circuit 2-3 times
- 2 min cool down stretch
By incorporating equal work and recovery periods of marching, this allows beginners to work at a manageable intensity. Focus on using the marches to actively recover while practicing good high knee form during the work intervals.
Advanced High Knee Burnout
For an added challenge, mix in these high knee variations along with the standard move:
- 60 sec regular high knees
- 30 sec plyo high knees (explosive knee drives)
- 30 sec traveling high knees (move side to side)
- 30 sec cross-body high knees (knees cross over body)
- 60 sec regular high knees
- Repeat for 3-5 rounds
These advanced variations will hammer your cardiovascular system while hitting your legs, core, and more from different angles.
The key is going hard during those work intervals, then getting in some active recovery between rounds.
You can also hold handweights during any of these routines to increase the resistance and intensity. Just be sure to prioritize proper form over going too heavy.
High Knee Variations to Keep It Interesting
Speaking of variations, here are some other ways to change up the standard high knee movement:
- Plyo High Knees – Drive your knees up as explosively as possible for a max plyometric knee height challenge.
- Traveling High Knees – Instead of running in place, move side to side, forward/backward, or in a circle as you drive knees.
- Cross-Body High Knees – Cross your driving knee across the midline of your body rather than straight up.
- Pendulum High Knees – Add a hip swing/pendulum motion as you drive each knee for an extra oblique burn.
- Weighted High Knees – Hold light dumbbells or wear ankle weights to increase the resistance.
- Stairs/Bench High Knees – Elevate your movement pattern by propelling your knees upwards towards a step or bench.
Mixing in these variations every so often keeps your muscles from adapting to just the basic movement pattern. It’ll also challenge your stabilizers in new ways while adding some extra spice to your at-home workouts!
Modifying for Different Fitness Levels
The beauty of high knees is that they can be regressed for beginners or progressed to be even more challenging as you improve your fitness level.
Regressions for Beginners:
- March in place rather than driving knees all the way up
- Go at a slower, controlled pace
- Incorporate equal work:rest ratios as needed
- Use a counter or wall for added stability
Progressions for Advanced Exercisers:
- Add resistance with dumbbells or ankle weights
- Go for max speed during work intervals
- Increase work:rest ratio (e.g. 60 sec work, 30 sec rest)
- Mix in plyo/explosive high knee variations
- Do high knees on an adjustable step for increased range
No matter your starting point, the key is picking an intensity that allows you to maintain proper high knee form. Start on the conservative side, then level up the challenge as you build more endurance.
Pre and Post High Knee Stretches
Like any workout, it’s crucial to properly warm up before doing high knees to reduce injury risk and prepare your muscles for action. Similarly, take a few minutes to cool down and stretch out after each routine.
Warm Up Ideas:
- Light march or jog in place for 2-3 minutes
- Arm circles and hip circles to mobilize muscles
- Leg swings front to back and side to side
- Walking lunges or squats
- Dynamic stretches like frankenstein kicks and walking high knees
The key for your warm-up is to get your muscles warm and increase mobility through your full range of motion. Gradually increase the intensity until you’ve broken a light sweat before diving into high knees.
Cool Down Stretches:
- Standing quad stretch
- Seated or standing hamstring stretch
- Glute stretch in butterfly position
- Figure 4 stretch for hip mobility
- Standing or seated forward fold for hamstrings/lower back
- Pigeon pose to open hip flexors
Don’t skip this step! Taking just 5-10 minutes post-workout to completely cool down and static stretch out your major muscle groups will help reduce soreness and speed up recovery.
Conclusion
There you have it – everything you need to start incorporating this killer high knee workout into your at-home fitness routine! This cardio-blasting, strength-building exercise checks all the boxes:
- 🔥 Torches calories and boosts endurance
- 💪 Strengthens legs, core and more
- 🏡 Requires zero equipment
- 👟 Low impact to protect joints
- 👌 Easily modified for any level
So whether you’re just starting your fitness journey or looking to take your home workouts up a notch, give high knees a try! Aim to include 2-3 high knee sessions per week using any of the sample routines or by sprinkling the move into your existing workouts.
You’ll be amazed at how winded yet accomplished you’ll feel after just a few minutes of this deceptively tough exercise. Over time, you’ll build impressive cardio fitness, functional leg strength, and overall calorie-burning power – all from the comfort of your living room!
The high knee is the ultimate convenient, do-anywhere workout move. Start driving those knees today and experience the heart-pumping burn for yourself!