Want some more cardio in your life? As I recently started getting back into the Insanity workouts, I thought I’d feature one of their exercises as the Best Butt Exercise of the week. I find that this one can really burn out my glutes quite quickly if done with high intensity!

power knees
Image credit: Nina Carr via Youtube

Exercise: Power Knees
Muscles worked: Glutes, core, balance, cardio, quads
Jolie Recommends: 30 seconds flat out on each side – 3 sets of this if you dare!
Difficulty rating: 2
Effectiveness rating: 7

This exercise doesn’t require any equipment at all, so you can do them anytime, anywhere! Plus, it’s a good way to get out any anger or stress, because you can put a lot of intensity into this move.

Best Butt Exercise #31: Power Knees

The Power Knees exercise from Beachbody’s Insanity program are awesome. They not only are a great cardio move that will get your heart rate up, but the one-leg-bent position that you are in for the whole move is absolutely great for working the glutes.

You should feel this one in both sides of your glutes – on one leg you’ll be supporting your entire bodyweight in a slight squat position, and on the other side, you’ll be doing power knees to bring the knee up to your chest. No mercy for the glutes at all!

How to Do the Move

  1. Start standing in a wide stance position, with your knees slightly bent.
  2. Transfer your weight over to your right leg, bending the knee so that your butt is slightly lowered into a squat.
  3. Straighten your left leg out to the side, and lift both arms up above your head.
  4. Tightening your core muscles, bring your left knee up to your chest as though you were kneeing an opponent. At the same time, bring your hands down to meet your knee.
  5. Return your hands up above your head, and left foot back to the ground – don’t transfer weight into your left leg, instead repeat the knee-up motion at a rapid pace.
  6. Perform this exercise for 30-60 seconds straight, then switch sides and repeat.

Perfecting Your Form

  • Tighten your core muscles the whole time, to help you keep balance.
  • Go as fast paced as you can, but focus on keeping your butt and torso as still as possible – try not to bob up and down unnecessarily.
  • As with squats, the knee of your supporting leg should stay behind your toes.
  • Lower into a deeper squat in the supporting leg to really get some glute burn.

Reppin’ It

 

This exercise is from the Insanity program, which is a high intensity interval training (HIIT) style workout.

This means that you should really try to go all-out-as-fast-as-you-can on this move (while still keeping good form, of course). Try for 3 sets of 30 seconds each, taking just 15 seconds break between sets; then repeat on the other side. It will get your heart rate up!

Of course, because this move is quite high intensity, make sure you have already warmed up before giving it your all, to reduce the risk of injury.

Best Butt Exercises: Power Knees
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2 thoughts on “Best Butt Exercises: Power Knees

  • June 6, 2015 at 4:20 pm
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    Awesome post Jolie, I’ll definitely be doing some power knees gotta get that better butt 😉

    Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

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