Primary muscles: Quads, hamstrings, calves
Secondary muscles: Abs, glutes, arms, back
Equipment: No equipment
HIGH KNEES INSTRUCTIONS
1. Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Face forward and open your chest.
2. Bring your knees up to waist level and then slowly land on the balls of your feet.
3. Repeat until the set is complete.
PROPER FORM AND BREATHING PATTERN
Open the chest and keep the knee joints loose. Add support to your back by keeping the core tight and landing slowly on the balls of the feet. Breathe deeply and as naturally as possible, with a smooth and steady rhythm.
EXERCISE BENEFITS
The high knees exercise is a combination of the run in place with exaggerated knee lifts. This is a great full body warm up exercise that increases aerobic fitness and prepares your body for more complex movements. Performing high knees brings your heart rate up, increases the metabolism and helps you burn more calories throughout the day.
DEMONSTRATION
SETS AND REPS
You should start this exercise slowly and with few repetitions. Start with 30 second sets and, once you’re comfortable with the exercise, add some extra challenges. You can lift your knees higher, increase the duration of the sets or perform the exercise at a faster pace.
CALORIES BURNED
To calculate the number of calories burned doing high knees, enter your weight and the duration of the exercise:
RELATED WARM UP EXERCISES
Try these other warm up exercises to increase your heart rate and prepare your body for a workout:
Mountain climbers
Side to side squats
Lunge kicks
Jump rope