How to do a march in place

Marching in place means lifting one knee at a time while you swing the opposite arm, without moving forward. It is a low-impact way to raise your heart rate and wake up your hips and legs.

Warm-up
No equipment
30 reps

marching in place, high knee march, standing march

How to do it

Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart and your arms bent at about 90 degrees.
Lift your right knee up toward hip height as your left arm swings forward.
Place your right foot down softly on the ball of the foot.
Lift your left knee as your right arm swings forward.
Keep alternating at a steady pace, with your chest up and your eyes forward.

Form cues

Lift your knees high
Swing your arms
Stand tall, do not lean back

Muscles worked

Main: hip flexors, heart and lungs

Also: quads, calves, core, glutes

Common mistakes

Leaning back to lift the knee higher. Fix: Keep your chest over your hips and lift only as high as you can while you stay tall.
Shuffling the feet with small knee lifts. Fix: Aim each knee toward hip height so the hips really work.
Keeping the arms still. Fix: Swing the opposite arm with each knee, like you walk briskly.

Make it easier: Slow march with support

Hold a chair or wall with one hand and march slowly with lower knee lifts.

Make it harder: High knees

Turn the march into a light run in place and drive your knees up fast.

In a workout

Do 30 steps (15 per leg) as the first warm-up move, or march for longer at an easy pace between harder exercises.

Safety: Hold a wall if your balance is unsure, and stop if you feel hip pain, chest pain or dizziness.

Questions

Does marching in place count as exercise?

Yes. A brisk march raises your heart rate and works your hip flexors, and it is easy on the joints.

What is the difference between marching and high knees?

Marching is a walk with one foot always on the floor. High knees is a run in place with a short flight phase.

How high should my knees go?

Aim for hip height. If you lean back to get there, lift a little lower.