The majority of strength exercises are done either standing, seated, or lying face up and face down. But when was the last time you included kneeling exercises into your workout routine?
Two neglected kneeling exercises positions are the tall kneeling(both knees on the ground) and the half-kneeling position(one foot, one knee). Exercising in a kneeling position requires hip mobility, core stability, and more focus on the working muscle. Performing kneeling exercises in the tall kneeling and half kneeling positions gives you another tool in the toolbox to improve your strength, balance, and performance.
Here this article will explain:
- What the difference between tall- and half- kneeling exercises.
- The benefits from training in both positions.
- Two exercises of each to improve your strength, balance, and performance.
BENEFITS OF TALL KNEELING EXERCISES
For tall kneeling exercises, you’re on both knees with your toes on the ground, glutes engaged, and a straight line from head to knee. Think of this as a front plank on your knees. The benefits of this position are:
- Improved glute strength and endurance because your glutes are engaged for a long period.
- When you take the lower legs out of your upper body standing lifts, this creates the need for core stability. Plus, it adds to the difficulty of the lift because of your inability to ‘cheat’ the weight up or down.
- The tall kneeling position reduces your base of support which helps to improve your balance, core stability, and hip mobility.
- Acts as a form check. By removing your lower legs as a lever, it’s easier to see your own mistakes, such as overarching of the lower back to lift weight overhead.
BENEFITS OF HALF-KNEELING EXERCISES
Half kneeling exercises are the go-to stretch to open up our hip flexors, but it’s also a handy position to lift from. This involves putting your knee underneath the hip and ankle underneath the knee to feel the hip flexor and core magic.
- By lowering your center of mass, you can move your hips and shoulders without too much compensation from the pelvis and lower back. This helps if you’re suffering from low back pain.
- With the narrower base of support, you’ll receive extra core stability and glute activation benefits.
- A narrower base of support will also help dial in your technique on upper body lifts because you will receive instant feedback when your form is less than ideal.
- Improves your hip mobility if hip mobility is an issue actively stretch your hip flexors while strengthening your glutes.
