High Knee Skip
Also known as: a skip, a-skip
- Primary muscleCardio
- EquipmentBodyweight
- DifficultyBeginner
- TypeCardio · Locomotion
- Secondary muscles
- Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings, Calves, Abs
- Body part
- Cardio
- Position
- Seated
- Laterality
- Bilateral (both sides together)
- Category
- Cardio
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Known to sprinters as the A-skip, this drill pairs a hop off one foot with an opposite-arm knee drive, teaching the stiff-ankle, tall-posture rhythm that carries over to running. It fits best before speed or lower body work rather than inside a strength session; two or three trips of 15 to 20 meters is a full dose.
How to do the High Knee Skip
- Stand tall with feet hip-width, arms bent about 90°, core braced, and eyes forward.
- Push through the ball of your left foot to hop as you drive your right knee to hip height and swing the left arm forward/right arm back.
- Land softly on your left forefoot with a slight bend in the ankle, knee, and hip; keep your torso upright.
- Step onto your right foot and immediately hop, driving the left knee up with an opposite arm swing.
- Maintain quick, light ground contacts, knees tracking over toes, and dorsiflex the airborne foot.
- Alternate sides continuously for time or distance while breathing steadily and avoiding excessive forward lean.
Tip: Work in timed rounds of 20 to 40 seconds and rest at least as long as you worked.
Muscles worked
Primary
Cardio · Cardio
Rope work, skips and shuffles push the heart rate up quickly, so use them for interval conditioning with timed rounds.
Secondary
- Glutes
- Quads
- Hamstrings
- Calves
- Abs — The abs brace the trunk throughout, and on hanging or high knee variations they should feel tight through the whole set.
Common mistakes
- Rushing the reps — whatever the movement, move at a speed you could stop at any point; if you cannot, you are using momentum rather than muscle.
- Cutting the range short — take each rep through the full range the joint allows, since half reps train half the movement.
- Holding the breath — breathe out on the effort and in on the return, and never let a whole set go by on one breath.
- Training without a purpose — pick the movement for a purpose, whether that is conditioning, skill or a warm-up, and train it that way.
Sets, reps and where it fits
| Goal | Sets × reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Warm-up | 3–5 min easy | None |
| Conditioning | 6–10 × 30 s hard / 60 s easy | Built in |
| Endurance | 15–30 min steady | None |
Movements like these go at the end of a session as conditioning or in the warm-up to raise the heart rate. Alternate a timed round of ropes or shuffles with a bodyweight movement like push-ups for a simple circuit.
Variations and alternatives
Frequently asked questions
What muscles does the High Knee Skip work?
The High Knee Skip primarily works the cardio. It also involves the glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves and abs, which assist the movement and stabilise the joints.
Is the High Knee Skip good for beginners?
Yes. The High Knee Skip is rated beginner: it uses no equipment beyond your bodyweight and the movement is simple to learn. Start light, focus on the full range of motion and add load once every rep looks the same.
How many sets and reps should I do?
It depends on your goal. For the High Knee Skip, a sensible starting point is warm-up: 3–5 min easy; conditioning: 6–10 × 30 s hard / 60 s easy; endurance: 15–30 min steady. Put intervals after strength work or on a separate day so they do not eat into your lifting.
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