Looking to get a great cardio workout without having to run for miles on a treadmill or go on a bike ride? If so, then high knees are a fantastic option. In terms of the high knees exercise benefits, for starters, you’ll be happy to know that you don’t need any equipment whatsoever, meaning there’s no need to worry if you don’t have a gym membership!
Another benefit of the high knees exercise is that you can burn a huge number of calories with this particular exercise in a short space of time. You can do this by incorporating the movement with the HIIT method - otherwise known as high intensity interval training.
This is short bursts of intense exercise followed by a rest or a low intensity period. As an example, you could perform high knees for a total of 30 seconds, followed by a rest period of around 20 seconds. Repeat this cycle for a total of 5 times to get yourself started.
Essentially, the movement involves running on the spot with your arms moving up and down beside you - imitating the running movement. At the same time, as the name of the exercise suggests, you lift your knees as high as possible.
When you become more advanced and your endurance has increased, you will be able to perform additional rounds, or increase your high intensity intervals - the choice is entirely yours!
If you were asking yourself the question what muscles do high knees work? then read on!
When you perform the high knees exercise, it works not only your abdominal muscles, it also works your hip flexors too. When you perform the exercise regularly, this enables you to build significant strength and endurance within these particular muscle groups.
Like we mentioned earlier, when you perform high knees, you can get great cardiovascular benefits too. It can help you to burn fat at a faster rate as when you perform more cardio workouts, this in turn increases your metabolism. So, if you really don’t feel up to running for hours on end, or you simply have little time to spare, high knees are a great option to send you well on your way to achieving the lean and defined physique that you desire.
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