High knees and high knee skips can be harsh on sensitive knee and hip joints. Work the same muscles with this alternative that Parsons and Barnes both recommend: a lateral lunge to an oblique twist.
"The lateral lunge to oblique twist is a low-impact cardio exercise that allows you to keep both feet low to the ground," Barnes told POPSUGAR. "Unlike high knee skips, this exercise doesn't require you to put intense pressure on your lower body joints. With each lunge, step, and upper body twist you do, you increase strength in your quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes, all while sculpting your lower ab muscles." Sounds like a win all around, right?
- Start with feet hips-distance apart.
- Step your right foot out to the side, sitting your hips back, coming into a lateral (side) lunge. Keep the weight in your right heel.
- As you stand, shift weight to your left heel and drive your right knee up and across your body, connecting with your left elbow (see here for an example). This completes one rep.
- Repeat for as many reps as you'd like, then switch sides.
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