High Knees

How to do it

Run in place, driving the knees upward. The knee must break the horizontal plane of the hip crease for the rep to count. Keep the torso perfectly upright.

The coaching cue

"Punch the glass ceiling." Pump your arms in perfect synchronization with your legs to drive the upward momentum.

What changes inside an AMRAP

Land lightly on the balls of your feet. If you are stomping flat-footed, you are destroying your momentum and your knees.

Common mistakes

• Leaning back to swing the knees higher instead of keeping the torso stacked.
• Letting the knees drop below hip height as the pace picks up.

Workouts that use high knees

• The Regulator

  10 minute AMRAP — 20 Glute Bridges, 10 Standard Push-ups, 20 High Knees

• Aero-Dorsal

  10 minute AMRAP — 30 High Knees (Total), 12 W-Press Ups, 20 Skater Jumps (Total)

• Sustained Pressure

  15 minute AMRAP — 16 Surrenders, 12 Wide Push-ups, 30 High Knees

• Dorsal Tow

  15 minute AMRAP — 8 Burpees, 12 W-Press Ups, 30 High Knees

• Redline

  5 minute AMRAP — 30 Mountain Climbers (Total), 30 High Knees (Total)

• The Turbine

  5 minute AMRAP — 20 High Knees (Total), 20 Butt Kicks (Total), 10 Jump Squats

• The Boomerang

  5 minute AMRAP — 5 Broad Jumps (With backpedal return), 20 High Knees

• The Draft

  5 minute AMRAP — 30 High Knees (Total), 10 T-Press Ups

• The Oscillator

  10 minute AMRAP — 10 Down-Ups, 20 High Knees

• The Long Stride

  15 minute AMRAP — 15 Combat Sprawls, 15 Reverse Lunges, 30 High Knees

• The Washout

  15 minute AMRAP — 20 Air Squats, 15 Reverse Snow Angels, 30 High Knees (Total)

• The Scissors

  5 minute AMRAP — 20 High Knees, 20 Flutter Kicks

• Static Lock

  10 minute AMRAP — 15s Hollow Hold, 10 Reverse Lunges, 20 High Knees

• Tension Grid

  10 minute AMRAP — 10 T-Push-ups, 12 Strict Sit-ups, 20 High Knees

• Rotational Lock

  15 minute AMRAP — 20 Plank Shoulder Taps, 20 Alternating Lunges, 30 High Knees

• The Gridlock

  20 minute AMRAP — 10 Combat Sprawls, 15 Leg Raises, 20 Glute Bridges, 30 High Knees

• The Centurion

  20 minute AMRAP — 10 Diamond Push-ups, 15 V-Ups, 20 Fast Calf Raises, 40 High Knees

• The Long Tow

  20 minute AMRAP — 12 T-Press Ups, 24 Air Squats, 15 V-Ups, 40 High Knees

• Tactical Shift

  20 minute AMRAP — 20 High Knees, 10 Pike Push-ups, 20 Reverse Lunges, 10 Plank Shoulder Taps

• The Garrison

  20 minute AMRAP — 20s High Plank Hold, 20 Alternating Lunges, 15 V-Ups, 20 High Knees

Run one with your friends

Every workout above runs on a shared countdown — one clock for the whole crew, one leaderboard, wherever everyone is training.