Legs · Bodyweight
Bodyweight Knee Thrust
How to do the bodyweight knee thrust, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- Flexion
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Stand tall with your core braced and hands held at chest height. Drive one knee up forcefully toward your chest, then lower it and repeat, alternating legs in a controlled, athletic rhythm.
- 1Your hip flexors snapping the knee up fast
- 2Your lower core bracing as the knee rises
- 3The standing leg staying tall and stable
Common mistakes
- Do not round your back as the knee comes up
- Avoid leaning back to throw the knee higher
- Do not lose balance; keep the standing leg grounded
Muscles worked
The bodyweight knee thrust mainly works the hip flexors and lower abs, with the upper abs, obliques, and quads assisting.
- Hip FlexorsPrimary
- Lower AbsPrimary
- Upper AbsSupport
- ObliquesSupport
- QuadsSupport
- GlutesMinor
- CalvesMinor
- Tibialis AnteriorMinor
Kovo programs the bodyweight knee thrust for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More hips & adductors exercises
- How to do the butterfly stretch
- How to do the external rotation
- How to do the cable hip adduction
- How to do the internal rotation
- How to do the cobra pose
- How to do the core scrunch
Last reviewed June 2026.