Strong legs always lead to a healthier life and improve life span. Many different exercises are there to train your lower body. However, people may not use heavy machines or go with hard workouts because of injuries. What if I tell you about a wonderful exercise that is not only gentle for legs but also is a gift for you? Whether you are looking for warmup or thinking of interval training sessions, High Knees is the best one. In this short blog, we will come to cover some aspects of this simple workout and pay attention to a few alternatives to High Knees. Let’s begin!
Basic Workout
High Knees look very simple and decent exercise that will not put heavy pressure on the legs. It trains your quads, glutes, hamstrings, and of course hip flexors. Somehow, it also develops your abdominal part and keeps your body stable. All you need is to bring your knee closer to the chest while engaging the core. maintaining your body balance on a single leg is a very tough task but don’t worry. High knees will make you able to switch legs quickly and work positively to get you in the best posturing.
Benefits of High Knees
This easy yet effective workout does not force you to lift weights. But it is so beneficial for all and sundry in different aspects. Let’s explore some of the crucial advantages of considering this certain workout in your routine:
Burn Extra Calories: If you have fat around your belly and seeking to get rid of those calories, then High Knees is the best option. It will keep you moving all the time and when you jump, it puts pressure on the belly which will burn fat.
Improves Cardio Health: Constant body movement will keep you sweaty and surely will pump the heart rate. This will play good cards with your heart and is beneficial for those suffering from bad cardio health.
Effectiveness for Metabolism: Surely, High Knees will improve your metabolism and has good impact over your stomach.
Proper Balancing: From this movement, you can learn to balance yourself suitably and strengthen the lower part. Moreover, it also helps you to run faster, especially for athletes.
Injury-Free Workout: this exercise does not involve any heavy weights or machinery that will press your joints. However, the risk of injuries will get lower and you can perform it quite easily.
How to Perform Properly
To gain results from a workout, you must perform it accordingly. Whether the exercise is simple or tough, you must follow guidelines to get fruitful results. Here are some steps that you need to follow while carrying out this activity:
- Stand straight on the ground and keep yourself relaxed. Don’t stress any of your muscle groups.
- Bring one leg closer to your chest and move your arms like you are running. (High Knees is similar to running but you need to perform it at one place.)
- Quickly shift your weight to the other leg and move the second arm. You have to maintain your leg and arm position equally.
- Repeat the move for the desired number of times.
You can make this exercise challenging by increasing the pace and number of reps. This will boost your stamina and improve your breathing rate.
Alternatives to High Knees
For bulky or fatty people, this effective exercise may lead to foot injury or cause pain in the ankles. Because when you land on the ground, your ankles will be bearing the whole-body weight. Landing too hard may put pressure on the joint leading to severe injury. Therefore, you must look for some impactful exercises that will not cause such issues. Therefore, we have come up with a few alternatives to high knees that you can consider.
1. Running
Running is one of the best and most suitable exercises that increases your stamina. Athletes and sportsmen prefer doing this exercise because it will keep all the muscles active. For a normal person, running is the best option as it will burn calories and have good debt for the heart. Most chronic diseases will attack the human body due to a lack of proportional health.
According to a study, a person who is habitual of running 2 kilometers a day will have less chance of suffering from Cancer disease.
Your sleep quality also gets improved as running will regulate your sleep cycle. Running also improves your brain power by stimulating new cells. It also boosts your energy and offers good results for immunity.
2. Step-Up
Another simple and gentle exercise for your joints is step-ups. It will require you to step up to a higher place and then return to the starting position. Similar to high knees, this certain move will target your hip flexors, quads, and hamstrings. It also keeps your knee joint active and is a painless activity. Your stamina will be boosted and you can feel sweaty in this movement.
You can perform this exercise anytime and anywhere without any limitations. To increase the exercise intensity, you can perform it by carrying weights in your hands. This aerobic move will also burn extra fat around the belly which will guarantee a slim waist.
3. Box Jump
If you have mastered high knees and looking for an extreme workout then practice Box Jump. This particular move will play good debts with your quads, hamstrings, and calves. In this activity, instead of moving one leg you have to utilize power from both legs equally. From the floor, you have to jump on the higher box and return back in the same manner.
It not only improves your posturing but also increases your athletic performance. It generates more energy in the lower legs which will let you perform well in your sports activities. Moreover, this can be a warmup game that will increase your stamina rate and prepare you for the hard-hitting workouts.
4. Lunges
If your aim is to train your legs and build strength in the main leg muscles, then Lunges welcomes you. This certain movement is simple but is challenging enough to make you feel sweaty. Your glutes, hamstrings, and quads will gain the maximum benefit and will boost your overall performance. Moreover, it also puts pressure on the core and helps to develop strong buttocks.
however, if you have extra fat around your thighs then Lunges are the best activity to get rid of this. You must start according to your ability but performing three sets of 10 reps is an ideal choice for newbies.
Read Also: Alternatives to Frog Pump
5. Squat Jump
Squat Jump is one of the common alternatives to high knees that will work for similar muscles as high knees do. this movement will test your jumping ability and is gentle for your joints. Not only your speed and jump power will increase but your athletic performance will also gain positive remarks.
It is hard enough to sweat you from top to bottom when performed in rhythm. This particular activity will pressurize your legs and knees so don’t try to be over with it. Just focus on proper form and start with a low number of reps so that you can master it.
6. Mountain Climber
The motto of high knees and mountain climber workout has no special difference. But the position sets them apart from each other. For example, high knees demand you to stand whereas mountain climbers will force you to perform on the four pillars. The main objective of both exercises is to bring the knee closer to the chest and return back to the initial position.
It not only targets your lower body but gives strength to the core. another similarity is no requirement for special equipment which makes it ideal for those who can’t go to gyms. You can improve your overall athletic abilities and develop power in the lower part with this exercise.
Read also: Alternatives to Crunches
Bottom Lines
There is nothing to debate that High Knees is the best choice for those looking to strengthen lower legs. But you must not rely on a single exercise and should go for other exercises like Box Jump and Running. The exercises mentioned above in the article will also generate explosiveness in your lower legs and contribute enough to make you a super athlete. Stay tuned for more valuable information.