Running Bounds
Also known as: bounding
- Primary muscleCardio
- EquipmentBodyweight
- DifficultyAdvanced
- TypeCardio · Locomotion
- Secondary muscles
- Quads, Hamstrings, Calves
- Body part
- Cardio
- Position
- Standing
- Laterality
- Bilateral (both sides together)
- Category
- Cardio
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Bounding exaggerates the running stride into long, springy leaps from one leg to the other, turning a jog into a plyometric power drill. Because every landing absorbs far more force than a normal step, keep volume low, around 20 to 40 meters per rep with full recovery, and end the set as soon as the spring leaves your legs.
How to do the Running Bounds
- Start in a plank position with your hands on the wheel and your body straight.
- Engage your core and start rolling the wheel forward by extending your arms.
- Continue rolling until your body is fully extended and your arms are overhead.
- Reverse the movement by pulling the wheel back towards your body, using your core and arms.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Tip: Lean forward from the ankles, not the waist, and keep the elbows bent at roughly 90 degrees.
Muscles worked
Primary
Cardio · Cardio
Running is the most direct way to tax the heart and lungs, and the effort can be tuned from a jog to all-out sprints.
Secondary
- Quads
- Hamstrings — The hamstrings are the main muscle in fast running, pulling the leg back under the body on each stride; they get hit hardest at top speed.
- Calves — The calves absorb the landing and spring you into the next step, and they are what get sore first when you are new to running or drills.
Common mistakes
- Overstriding on each step — landing with the foot far in front of the hips brakes every step; shorten the stride and land closer under your center of mass.
- Heel striking hard on sprints — on fast work you should be on the balls of the feet; a loud slap on each step means you are landing flat.
- Arms crossing the body — swing the arms front to back, not across the chest, and keep the hands relaxed.
- Going too fast too soon — sprints on cold legs are how hamstrings get pulled; build up through a few strides at 60, 70 and 80 percent before anything maximal.
Where it fits in a workout
Steady running goes on separate days or after lifting, while sprints and fast feet drills belong at the start of a session when you are fresh. A short block of sprints followed by broad jumps works well as an athletic warm-up.
How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.
Variations and alternatives
Similar exercises
Without bodyweight
When to talk to someone
- Chest discomfort, feeling faint or lightheaded, or trouble breathing during or after exercise can be signs of a heart attack. In the US, call 911 right away; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
- Heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or symptoms like these when you are active: talk to your doctor before you start or step up training.
- Pregnant: ask your obstetric care provider which exercise suits you.
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More exercises
Sources
- ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
- ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
- ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
- CDC: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (2024)
Sources checked on October 17, 2026. Full citations are in the exercise library.
Animation and exercise data: ExerciseDB, licensed to SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.