Pete RohlederToday’s show is about two exercise postures that you probably should start if you’re not already doing them. I’m talking about tall-kneeling and half-kneeling exercises. I’ll chat about why these variations are so impactful to your improvement, and I’ll give you 10 total benefits, 5 for each, to consider so you can determine what’s right for you and your goals. Let’s get into it!
What’s up, movers! Glad you could join me for another episode of More To Movement.
I’ve got a question for you to consider.
Can you think of a functional activity, exercise, sport, or any movement, really, that does not depend on adequate trunk engagement and stability?
Think of a peanut butter sandwich. I know, just go with me. If you leave the peanut butter out, what keeps the top and the bottom together? The peanut butter connects the top and bottom, and the same goes for the trunk. The core musculature is essential for not only connecting but transferring force between the upper and lower body.
The Connection between the Trunk and Hips
And the literature shows growing support that the muscles of the back, pelvis, and legs do not work in insolation but are interconnected. Studies have indicated that increased abdominal muscle activity increases hip muscle activity and has shown the impact trunk muscles and pelvic stability have on preventing lower leg injuries (1,2,3).
Further, studies have even indicated that poor trunk strength and control are actually associated with risk factors for leg injuries (4,5,6). So it seems apparent that improving trunk and hip muscle coordination and pelvic stability is a no-brainer, but how can we target these adaptations?
Ab work is great but typically not adequate. Crunches, Russian Twists, and Leg Raises have their place for sure, but those are still relatively isolated. And traditional compound lifts, though core in nature due to the braced positions and working loads, may not quite cut it because the legs can easily overcompensate for any weaknesses in the integrity of the trunk and hip.
But, what if we could find a way to challenge the smaller core stabilizers that typically get overlooked?
What if we could improve the engagement and interaction of the pelvic and trunk muscles and enhance balance and coordination in multiple planes without the influence of overpowering upper or lower body muscles and their momentum?
Tall-Kneeling and Half-Kneeling Postures
Enter the tall-kneeling and half-kneeling postures. The tall-kneeling and half-kneeling postures have significant benefits that can impact your development.
Before I jump into the benefits of these postures, let me provide a visual for each of these.
Tall-kneeling is where you are on both your knees, typically with a shoulder-width or slightly shoulder-width stance, with your feet together. If you need to kneel on a pad, go for it.
For a visual, your knees and feet form a triangle. Your hips are extended, so you are stacked from head to knee. Of course, you have a braced core and neutral spine in the posture.
The half-kneeling resembles a lunge position, with both knees flexed at 90 degrees and about shoulder-width apart. Feel free to use a pad for your back knee if necessary. Like the tall-kneeling position, hips are extended, and your core is braced with a neutral spine, but additionally, keep your shoulders and hips squared forward. If you have tight hip flexors, you’ll notice you may try to bail them out by rotating toward the back leg, so be aware of your position.
To make this even more challenging, you can move to an in-line position, meaning your legs line up straight, from front foot to back knee to back foot. A visual for this is to draw a line on the ground and get into this half-kneeling position with both feet and back knee on the line.
Transitional Positions: Tall-Kneeling and Half-Kneeling
On top of what I just discussed, the tall-kneeling and half-kneeling positions are considered “transitional”, because they are in between the developmental postures of rolling, crawling, and planking and the ground-based postures of standing. Most of us really only train the standing or seated positions, but it’s good to continually revisit the foundational postures to reinforce movement patterns and emphasize stability and control.
Both tall-kneeling and half-kneeling postures add a few elements that are worth considering. I will give you 10 reasons (5 for each) to consider adding the tall-keeling or the half-kneeling postures to your training.
Tall-Kneeling
Let’s start with the benefits of Tall-Kneeling.
Improves Posture
This position forces you to engage more of the posterior chain back muscles to maintain this posture, specifically the middle trapezius and rhomboid muscles of the thoracic area of the back, which will retract the scapula and improve posture.
Great Glute Engagement
If Glute engagement is your goal, you may want to throw in some tall-kneeling exercises. Being on your knees requires you to extend the hips to stay in position, which is primarily controlled by the Glutes. Further, in the triangle position we discussed, your hips are externally rotated, which will put more emphasis on the Gluteus Maximus.
Based on your training status, this may or may not be for you, so consider where you are before loading this pattern.
Increases Spinal Loading
Consider most loaded patterns. You have your legs to help absorb and mitigate the load. But in this tall-kneeling position, the legs cannot mitigate loads, forcing your trunk and core stabilizers to take control. This can be a great way to improve integrity and enhance bracing during spine-loaded exercises. Again, consider where you or your client is before loading this.
Used to Identify Movement Discrepancies
Let’s be honest- our legs do a great job of compensating for us. Think about any time you’ve had to stand for a long time. How often do you move your legs into different positions to deal with discomfort?
Our legs do the same with movement as well. A trained eye can catch movement discrepancies as they occur through kinetic chains, but a nice hack is to use the tall-kneeling position. Without the legs, any hip, pelvis, or trunk discrepancies will stick out like a sore thumb, especially rotation movements.
Challenges Anterior and Posterior Balance Reactions
Balance is a major component of the kneeling postures, and the tall-kneeling position emphasizes controlling forward and backward movement. Try holding a kettlebell or a dumbbell at thigh-level standing, and then repeat it in the tall-kneeling position. It’s night and day. Since we don’t have our feet and legs to assist in postural sways, the hips and the core stabilizers must work overtime to control the momentum in these directions.
Half-Kneeling
Now, for the benefits of the Half-Kneeling posture.
Challenges Medial and Lateral Balance Reactions
The half-kneeling position challenges balance in the opposite direction of the tall-kneeling position. Balance is challenged in lateral directions, or side to side. Lateral balance is essential in helping stabilize the pelvis, especially during single-leg positions, and it helps maintain a neutral spine during movement. So, adding this can really be beneficial.
Narrow Base of Support increases Core Control
As discussed earlier, our legs play a huge role in mitigating force and movement. In the half-kneeling position, we narrow our base of support and take away the impact of the larger leg muscles, requiring hip and trunk muscles to kick in—another great reason to add this position to your training.
Improves Contralateral Transfer
This is a really big benefit of the half-kneeling position. As we move, force is transferred from the lower body to the upper body and vice versa. When we walk and rotate, this energy travels from one side of the body to the other and passes through the hips. The half-kneeling position promotes this contralateral transfer and targets the stabilizers and rotators of the trunk while stabilizing the hips, especially when we add rotation exercises to this half-kneeling posture.
Prevents Overcompensation from the Pelvis and Lower Back
If we have muscle weakness or movement discrepancies, we tend to overcompensation at the hips, commonly with an anterior pelvic tilt or a hip drop. We can even do this a bit with the tall-kneeling position, but it is much more difficult to do in the half-kneeling position.
With the split stance, a major emphasis is put on a neutral pelvis to maintain stability. If compensation occurs, the change in leg or trunk position is very evident. The half-kneeling position limits movement at the hips and encourages more engagement and control through the upper body and the trunk.
Improves Hip Mobility
It’s no secret that the anterior hip is typically hypertonic, or tight, for most people. The half-kneeling position will immediately stretch those muscles if they are tight, which by itself can be beneficial. Remember, tissue adapts to position, so the more we are in this half-kneeling position, the more mobile we will become in this position. So, at the very least, this can be a passive way to improve mobility at the hips while improving trunk engagement. It’s kind of a win-win!
To Recap- Benefits of Tall-Kneeling:
- Improves posture
- Great Glute engagement
- Increases spinal loading
- Easier to identify movement flaws or discrepancies
- Challenges balance, specifically, reactions in anterior or posterior directions
Benefits of Half-Kneeling:
- Challenges balance reactions in lateral directions
- A narrow base of support makes larger muscles less likely to control movement.
- Improves contralateral transfer
- It prevents overcompensation from the pelvis and lower back
- Can assist with improving hip mobility
Tall-Kneeling and Half-Kneeling: Progressing These Postures
So, there you have it. 10 reasons to consider the tall-kneeling and half-kneeling postures.
I use both of these postures in my training, and it just depends on what I am trying to target. I really suggest starting to get comfortable in these positions. Start by just holding these positions for several minutes, focusing on bracing your trunk and stabilizing your hips. Then, add a load in this static position.
Kettlebells are my favorite since they are easy to hold and transition, but anything will do. Just hold these positions, focusing on countering the weight and maintaining a neutral posture. I mentioned it earlier, but a great start is a kettlebell hold in front during tall-kneeling. The kettlebell will pull you forward, so you’ll have to engage the posterior chain and brace the trunk to maintain that position. This by itself is a great way to challenge yourself in this position.
Once you feel comfortable in these positions, you can add typical upper body movements you would do in standing positions, obviously with a significant focus on trunk and hip stability and coordination.
Some of my favorites are adding single-arm overhead pressing patterns and rotation patterns to enhance balance, coordination, and control. Get creative, add intent, and have fun with it!
Conclusion
Thanks so much for tuning in. It means the world to me, and I appreciate you.
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I look forward to chatting with you next time!
Take care of yourselves, and remember, wherever you are, keep moving.
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Pete Rohleder
