Half Knee Bends (male)

Also known as: half knee bends

Beginner

Cardiovascular System

Body Weight

Half Knee Bends (male) pairs pure bodyweight leverage with work capacity you can repeat daily — built for your first months of training.

How to do Half Knee Bends (male)

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
Bend your knees and lower your body down as if you were sitting back into a chair.
Keep your chest up and your weight in your heels.
Pause for a moment at the bottom, then push through your heels to return to the starting position.
Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

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Half Knee Bends (male) Sets and Reps by Goal

Strength

6 rounds of 20 seconds hard with 100 seconds of easy movement between. Add one round before you add intensity to the rounds you have.

Hypertrophy

5 rounds of 60 seconds at a strong pace with 60 seconds easy. Hold the same effort from the first round to the last.

Endurance

15-20 minutes at a pace you could hold a short conversation through. Cut the round short the moment your movement quality drops.

Common Half Knee Bends (male) Mistakes

Landing loudly and letting the joints absorb the impact

Land through the mid-foot with soft knees and keep the contact quiet.

Letting posture collapse once the breathing gets heavy

Reset tall through the ribs every time the shoulders start creeping up.

Judging the session by how wrecked you feel afterwards

Judge it by whether you could repeat the same effort tomorrow.

Easier and Harder Than Half Knee Bends (male)

Harder progression

Skater Hops

Swap Half Knee Bends (male) For

Cycle Cross Trainer

Stationary Bike Run

Walk Elliptical Cross Trainer

Half Knee Bends (male) — Frequently Asked Questions

How do you do the Half Knee Bends (male)?

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees and lower your body down as if you were sitting back into a chair. Keep your chest up and your weight in your heels. Use your bodyweight only and keep the movement controlled through the full range. The animated GIF above shows the complete rep at normal speed.

What muscles does the Half Knee Bends (male) work?

The Half Knee Bends (male) primarily targets the cardiovascular system. It is classified as a cardio exercise and is performed with your bodyweight only.

How many sets and reps of the Half Knee Bends (male) should I do?

For muscle growth: 5 rounds of 60 seconds at a strong pace with 60 seconds easy. Hold the same effort from the first round to the last. Adjust the load rather than the rep target if form breaks down before the final rep.

Is the Half Knee Bends (male) good for beginners?

Yes. The Half Knee Bends (male) is a beginner-level movement, so it is a reasonable place to start. Keep the load light enough that you can control every rep and stop 2-3 reps short of failure while you learn the pattern.

What can I do instead of the Half Knee Bends (male)?

Try the Cycle Cross Trainer, Stationary Bike Run or the Walk Elliptical Cross Trainer. Each trains the cardiovascular system with a similar movement pattern, so you can swap based on the equipment you have available.

Is the Half Knee Bends (male) the same as the half knee bends?

Yes. The Half Knee Bends (male) is also commonly called the half knee bends. Different gyms and training programs label it differently, but "half knee bends" refer to this same movement.