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Squat to Knee to Elbow Touch

This bodyweight combination pairs a squat with a standing cross-body crunch: squat down, stand up, then drive one knee toward the opposite elbow before the next rep. It layers rotation and balance onto the basic squat, waking up the obliques while keeping the legs under continuous work. Coached by Maddy (NASM-CPT) — these are the exact form cues he gives on every client's first week.

Muscles worked

Quads · quadriceps Glutes · gluteus maximus Hamstrings Inner thighs · adductor magnus Lower back · erector spinae

Sets & reps by goal

Goal	Sets × Reps	Rest
Strength	4 × 5–8 per side, slow and full	90 s
Muscle	3–4 × 9–12 per side	60 s
Endurance	3 × 18–27 per side	45–60 s

Rep ranges per Helms 2014 · Schoenfeld 2016.

Level — Beginner

Beginner-friendly combination — balance during the knee drive is the only new skill on top of squatting.

Proper form — 5 cues

Squat to parallel with the arms bent, hands near the ears
Stand fully before starting the knee drive
Lift one knee up and across toward the opposite elbow
Rotate the torso to meet the knee halfway — elbow travels down and across
Place the foot down softly, then flow into the next squat

Breathing: Inhale down in the squat, exhale twice — standing up, and again as knee meets elbow.

The 3 mistakes Maddy corrects most

Dragging the elbow down without lifting the knee. A deep sideways slump toward a low knee is a spine bend, not the ab contraction the touch is meant to create. Fix: Drive the knee up to at least hip height and let the elbow meet it near the midline of the body.

Skipping the full stand between squat and knee drive. Rushing out of the half-risen squat robs the hips of extension and turns the sequence into a wobbling shuffle. Fix: Reach a tall, complete stand — hips fully open — before every knee-to-elbow touch.

Falling through shallow, quick squats to keep the rhythm. The squat half of the combination silently degrades until only the crunch remains. Fix: Hold the standard: thighs to parallel each rep, even if the pace must slow to protect it.

Common questions

What is the benefit of adding the knee-to-elbow touch to squats?

The touch inserts a rotation and balance demand between squat reps: the obliques contract to bring knee and elbow together, and the standing leg stabilizes the whole body on its own for a beat. You keep the leg-training value of squats while sneaking core and coordination work into the same minutes.

Can beginners do squat to knee-to-elbow touches?

Yes — both halves are beginner movements, and the combination simply asks them to queue up politely. If balance wobbles during the knee drive, slow down, touch the toe down briefly between phases, or shrink the rotation. The rhythm arrives within a session or two of practice.

Does this exercise work your abs enough to replace crunches?

It trains the obliques dynamically and adds rotation many routines lack, but the standing position means the abs work briefly per rep rather than under sustained load. Treat it as core-flavored conditioning; keep dedicated trunk work — planks, side planks, controlled crunch patterns — in the program for direct development.

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