High Knees
46
/100
Best when...
- Your energy is dipping and you want a more activating break.
- You only have about a minute between tasks or meetings.
Not ideal when...
- You cannot leave your desk area or need something very office-subtle.
- You want a nearly effortless reset that will not elevate breathing much.
- You are in a crowded office or tight workspace.
Pairs well with...
a desk-friendly posture reset to round out the break
Better than X when...
Longer break routines when you only have 60 seconds and need immediate value.
Office-clothes alternative
Sit-to-Stand or Seated March are easier alternatives when office clothes or limited space make this awkward.
Compound movement primarily engaging quadriceps, hip flexors, calves
MET 7 (derived), 2.0x walking
Joint ROM: 60%, posture benefit: 30%
Requires open floor space
hip flexors
quadriceps
calves
rectus abdominis
for 20 reps · roughly 0.7 min of brisk walking for a 70 kg person
46
5 reps
46
10 reps
46
15 reps
46
20 reps
46
30 reps
“High Knees scores 46/100, strongest in metabolic cost. Needs open space.”
- Metabolic cost varies with body weight and fitness level
- mobility value, desk practicality are estimated, not directly measured
- Limited research data for this exercise
- Study populations may not represent sedentary desk workers
Measured (0)
Derived (6)
- MET value
- hip flexors activation
- quadriceps activation
- calves activation
- rectus abdominis activation
- caloric expenditure
Modeled (3)
- joint ROM
- posture correction
- desk practicality
Estimating energy expenditure during bodyweight resistance exercise
Journal of Sports Sciences (2019)
MET values specific to bodyweight resistance exercises at various intensities