Legs · Bodyweight
Half Knee Bends
How to do the half knee bends, 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
- Squat
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Stand with feet about shoulder-width apart and hands on your hips or out front. Bend your knees to lower into a quarter-to-half squat, then drive back up to standing. Keep it controlled and rhythmic.
- 1Feel your quads and glutes load as you bend down
- 2Keep your weight in your mid-foot and heels
- 3Drive up smoothly and stand tall at the top
Common mistakes
- Don't let your knees cave inward
- Avoid rounding your back or dropping your chest
- Don't bounce out of the bottom; stay controlled
Muscles worked
The half knee bends mainly works the quads, with the glutes and hamstrings assisting.
- QuadsPrimary
- GlutesSupport
- HamstringsSupport
- Lower BackMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
- Lower AbsMinor
- CalvesMinor
- AdductorsMinor
Kovo programs the half knee bends 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 quads exercises
- How to do the resistance band squat
- How to do the resistance band squat to press
- How to do the resistance band thruster
- How to do the resistance band squat walk
- How to do the barbell squat
- How to do the barbell bulgarian split squat
Last reviewed June 2026.