10 Best Bench Sprint Alternatives for Limited-Equipment Workouts

If you can’t perform bench sprints, use movements that reproduce explosive hip extension and glute loading. Try sled pushes, hill sprints, kettlebell swings, weighted step-ups, or plyo lunges. Cue each rep: drive through the heels, snap the hips forward, and maintain a neutral spine to maximize glute activation and safe force transfer.

Original Exercise: Bench Sprint

Bench Sprint
Primary Muscle
Glutes
Equipment
Other
Difficulty
Intermediate
Type
Compound
Secondary Muscles: Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings
How to Perform Bench Sprint
  1. Stand on the ground with one foot resting on a bench or box with your heel close to the edge.
  2. Push off with your foot on top of the bench, extending through the hip and knee.
  3. Land with the opposite foot on top of the box, returning your other foot back to the start position.
  4. Continue alternating from one foot to another to complete the set.
Pro Tips
  • Category: Plyometrics
  • Force: Push
  • Movement type: Compound

Ranked Bench Sprint Alternatives

Best Match
Single-Cone Sprint Drill

1. Single-Cone Sprint Drill

83.7% Match
Quadriceps Other Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. This drill teaches quick foot action. You need a single cone. Begin standing next to the cone with one arm back and one arm forward.
  2. Chop the feet as quickly as possible, blocking with the arms. Circle the cone, keep your knees up, with violent foot action.
  3. Rest after three trips around the cone.
Linear 3-Part Start Technique

2. Linear 3-Part Start Technique

79.7% Match
Hamstrings Body-weight Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. This drill helps you accelerate as quickly as possible into a sprint from a dead stop. It helps to use a line to start from. Begin with two feet on the line. Place your left foot with the toe next to your right ankle. Place your right foot 4-6 inches behind the left.
  2. Place your right hand onto the line, and thing bring your nose close to your left knee.
  3. Squat down as you lean foward, your head being lower than your hips and your weight loaded onto the left leg. This will be your starting position.
  4. Take your left hand up so that it is parallel to the ground, pointing behind you, and explode out when ready.
Push To Run

3. Push To Run

78.9% Match
Cardiovascular-system Body-weight Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Start in a push-up position with your hands shoulder-width apart and your body in a straight line.
  2. Lower your chest towards the ground by bending your elbows, keeping your body straight.
  3. Push through your hands to extend your arms and return to the starting position.
  4. Quickly bring one knee towards your chest, then quickly switch and bring the other knee towards your chest.
  5. Continue alternating knees as fast as you can while maintaining good form.
Single Leg Butt Kick

4. Single Leg Butt Kick

76.9% Match
Quadriceps Body-weight Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Begin by standing on one leg, with the bent knee raised. This will be your start position.
  2. Using a countermovement jump, take off upward by extending the hip, knee, and ankle of the grounded leg.
  3. Immediately flex the knee and attempt to touch your butt with the heel of your jumping leg.
  4. Return the leg to a partially bent position underneath the hips and land. Your opposite leg should stay in relatively the same position throughout the drill.
Side Hop-Sprint

5. Side Hop-Sprint

75.2% Match
Quadriceps Other Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand to the side of a cone or hurdle.
  2. Begin this drill by hopping sideways over the obstacle, rebounding out of your landing to hop back to where you started.
  3. Hop for a prescribed number or repetitions as quickly as possible, and finish this drill by sprinting a short distance upon landing the last hop.
Carioca Quick Step

6. Carioca Quick Step

74.7% Match
Adductors Body-weight Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Begin with your feet a few inches apart and your left arm up in a relaxed, athletic position.
  2. With your right foot, quick step behind and pull the knee up.
  3. Fire your arms back up when you pull the right knee, being sure that your knee goes straight up and down. Avoid turning your feet as you move and continue to look forward as you move to the side.
Prowler Sprint

7. Prowler Sprint

74.2% Match
Hamstrings Other Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Place your sled on an appropriate surface, loaded to a suitable weight. The sled should provide enough resistance to require effort, but not so heavy that you are significantly slowed down.
  2. You may use the upright or the low handles for this exercise. Place your hands on the handles with your arms extended, leaning into the implement.
  3. With good posture, drive through the ground with alternating, short steps. Move as fast as you can for a short distance.
Side To Side Box Shuffle

8. Side To Side Box Shuffle

73.3% Match
Quadriceps Other Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand to one side of the box with your left foot resting on the middle of it.
  2. To begin, jump up and over to the other side of the box, landing with your right foot on top of the box and your left foot on the floor. Swing your arms to aid your movement.
  3. Continue shuffling back and forth across the box.
Wheel Run

9. Wheel Run

72.6% Match
Cardiovascular-system Body-weight Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Start in a plank position with your hands on the wheel and your body straight.
  2. Engage your core and start rolling the wheel forward by extending your arms.
  3. Continue rolling until your body is fully extended and your arms are overhead.
  4. Reverse the movement by pulling the wheel back towards your body, using your core and arms.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
High Knee Against Wall

10. High Knee Against Wall

72% Match
Cardiovascular-system Body-weight Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand facing a wall with your feet hip-width apart.
  2. Place your hands on the wall for support.
  3. Engage your core and lift your right knee up towards your chest, while keeping your left foot on the ground.
  4. Quickly switch legs, bringing your left knee up towards your chest and lowering your right foot back down.
  5. Continue alternating legs in a running motion, bringing your knees up as high as possible.

Why You Might Need a Bench Sprint Alternative

You may need substitutes because of limited equipment, lack of safe sprinting space, or joint pain that makes repeated sprints risky. Bench sprints produce rapid horizontal force and high-rate hip extension to fire the glutes and hamstrings; a good alternative reproduces that hip-drive while reducing impact or equipment demands. For example, sled pushes preserve horizontal force production; keep a slight forward lean and push through the mid-foot. Kettlebell swings emphasize hip hinge mechanics, hinge at the hips, keep a neutral spine, and snap the hips while squeezing the glutes at top. Substitutes let you target glute recruitment, power, or conditioning without increasing injury risk.

How to Choose the Right Substitute

Match the substitute to your primary goal: power, conditioning, or hypertrophy. For rate-of-force development pick short, maximal efforts such as sled pushes or hill sprints and cue explosive hip extension, drive the foot into the ground and extend the hips quickly. For conditioning choose kettlebell swings or interval step-ups with faster tempo to keep heart rate high while maintaining glute focus. If you have joint concerns, use single-leg options like Bulgarian split squats to limit shear and isolate glute activation; cue a tall torso and press through the heel. Also factor equipment, space, load progression, and how closely the movement reproduces horizontal force demands.

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles does Bench Sprint work?

Bench sprints primarily target the glutes and hamstrings through rapid hip extension, with secondary loading of quads, calves, and the core for stabilization. The movement emphasizes posterior chain activation and horizontal force production, so you recruit fast-twitch motor units for power.

What is the best bodyweight alternative to Bench Sprint?

Hill sprints are the best bodyweight substitute because they preserve high hip-extension velocity and horizontal force without equipment. Cue a slight forward lean, drive aggressively through the balls of your feet, and forcefully extend the hips to maximize glute and hamstring recruitment.

Can I build muscle without doing Bench Sprint?

Yes. You can build glute and posterior-chain muscle with progressive overload via kettlebell swings, weighted step-ups, Bulgarian split squats, and loaded hip hinges. Focus on controlled eccentric work and squeeze the glutes at full hip extension each rep to optimize muscle activation.

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