How many reps of the prone to tall kneeling should a beginner do?

Start with 2 sets of 6 to 8 reps, pausing briefly both at the seated-on-heels checkpoint and in tall kneeling each time. Once the sequence feels organized and even, add a third set before increasing speed.

How do I make the prone to tall kneeling easier or harder?

If pressing up from the floor is hard on the wrists, drop to the forearms for the initial push and only switch to full hands once the knees are under the hips. To make it harder, cross the arms over the chest for the final rise into tall kneeling, removing the hands entirely.

What is the prone to tall kneeling good for and when should I skip it?

It teaches you to organize the body and stand the torso up off the floor without cranking the low back, a gentle building block toward full get-ups and general floor work. Skip it if your wrists cannot yet bear weight in a push-up-style position, since the whole drill starts there.

Beginner

Prone to Tall Kneeling

This teaches you to organize the body and stand the torso up from the floor without cranking the lower back. From prone you press the hands down, draw the knees underneath, and finish by extending the hips into tall kneeling. It links pushing, hip extension, and trunk control, and it is a gentle building block for full get-ups and floor work.

Equipment: Body Weight
Body part: Back, Glutes
Type: Functional
Browse by muscle: Gluteus Maximus, Erector Spinae
Browse by movement: Hinge

How to do it

1
Lie face down with hands under your shoulders as if setting up for a push-up.
2
Press the floor away and walk or hop the knees up under your hips.
3
Sit the hips back briefly onto the heels to organize the position.
4
Squeeze the glutes and drive the hips forward to rise into tall kneeling.
5
Finish stacked with a straight line from knees to shoulders to head.
6
Lower back to prone under control and repeat.

Tips

Finish with glutes, not by arching and jamming the low back.
Keep the ribs down and the neck neutral as you come up.
Move deliberately so you can pause and correct any position.

Variations

Common mistakes

The knees hop up wide of the hips instead of stacking directly under them, leaving the base uneven before the rise even starts.
Once the hips reach forward, they overshoot in front of the knees instead of stacking above them, tipping the tall-kneeling finish forward.
The hands push the floor away unevenly, so one shoulder rises before the other and the whole sequence starts crooked.
Snapping quickly from prone to standing on the knees skips the brief seated-on-heels checkpoint that organizes the position.
The head drops to look at the floor throughout, rounding the neck forward instead of keeping it in line with the spine.

Frequently asked

How many reps of the prone to tall kneeling should a beginner do?: Start with 2 sets of 6 to 8 reps, pausing briefly both at the seated-on-heels checkpoint and in tall kneeling each time. Once the sequence feels organized and even, add a third set before increasing speed.
How do I make the prone to tall kneeling easier or harder?: If pressing up from the floor is hard on the wrists, drop to the forearms for the initial push and only switch to full hands once the knees are under the hips. To make it harder, cross the arms over the chest for the final rise into tall kneeling, removing the hands entirely.
What is the prone to tall kneeling good for and when should I skip it?: It teaches you to organize the body and stand the torso up off the floor without cranking the low back, a gentle building block toward full get-ups and general floor work. Skip it if your wrists cannot yet bear weight in a push-up-style position, since the whole drill starts there.

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