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High Knee Against Wall
A high-knee running drill performed leaning into a wall, teaching forward lean posture and fast knee drive for sprint mechanics and conditioning.
CardioBodyweightSprint drill
GoLightWeight mediahigh-knee-against-wall
Demonstration coming soon
Primary
Hip flexorsQuadriceps
Secondary
CalvesGlutesCore
Equipment
Bodyweight
Pattern
Sprint drill
Setup
- 01Place both hands on a wall at shoulder height, arms extended.
- 02Walk the feet back until the body forms a straight forward lean of about 45 degrees.
- 03Set the body in one rigid line from head to heels.
- 04Start with both feet on the ground, up on the balls of the feet.
Execution
- 01Drive one knee up toward the chest while the other leg stays extended.
- 02Snap the raised foot back down and drive the opposite knee up.
- 03Alternate legs rapidly while holding the rigid lean.
- 04Continue for the target time or rep count, then walk the feet in to finish.
Checkpoints
- -The body keeps one straight line from head to support heel.
- -The knee drives to hip height or above on each rep.
- -Contacts stay on the balls of the feet, quick and light.
- -The hips do not drop or push back toward the wall.
Common mistakes
- -Piking at the hips and losing the straight-line lean.
- -Driving the knees low and shuffling instead of sprinting.
- -Letting the heels slam down flat on each contact.
- -Holding the breath during fast bursts.
Programming notes
- -Use 3 to 5 bursts of 5 to 10 seconds at maximal turnover for sprint mechanics.
- -Use 15 to 20 second bouts in conditioning circuits.
- -Pair with regular high knees or short sprints to transfer the pattern.
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