Half Knee Bends

Description

How to do Half Knee Bends

1. 01
   Setup

   Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart, toes pointing forward, and hands either on your hips or extended forward for balance.

2. 02
   Setup

   Maintain a tall posture with a neutral spine, engaging your core slightly to stabilize your torso.

3. 03

   Inhale as you slowly bend your knees, pushing your hips slightly back as if sitting into a very shallow chair.

4. 04

   Descend only about a quarter to a third of the way down, ensuring your knees track directly over your mid-foot and your thighs do not reach parallel to the floor.

5. 05

   Exhale and push through your heels and mid-foot to return to the starting standing position, fully extending your hips and knees with control.

Tips

• Focus on a slow, controlled movement both during the descent and ascent to maximize muscle engagement and avoid using momentum.
• Always ensure your knees track in line with your second and third toes throughout the movement to protect the knee joint from undue stress.
• Keep your abdominal muscles gently braced throughout the exercise to support your spine and enhance overall stability.
• Synchronize your breathing by inhaling as you lower down and exhaling as you push back up to maintain proper intra-abdominal pressure.

Common mistakes

• Avoid rounding your lower back by keeping your chest lifted and maintaining a neutral spine throughout the movement.
• Prevent your knees from caving inward by actively pushing them slightly outward, ensuring they track over your mid-foot.
• Do not squat too deep; the goal is a partial bend, so only go about a quarter to a third of the way down to maintain the "half knee bend" focus.