10 Best Push To Run Alternatives for Home Cardio

The Push To Run is done standing. Ranked closest by our scoring: the Wheel Run, the High Knee Against Wall and the Back And Forth Step. A harder version, Skater Hops, is listed below as a progression rather than a swap.

Push To RunWatch the Push To Run

Each substitute is scored on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. Read how we rank alternatives

How to Do the Push To Run

The steps for the Push To Run itself, so you can judge how close each substitute below really is.

Cardio, with quadriceps, hamstrings, calves · Bodyweight · Intermediate · Compound

  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.
  6. Continue for the desired duration or number of repetitions.

The 10 Best Push To Run Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Push To Run on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. The higher the score, the less you change. Cards with a "How to perform it" link open to show the steps; every card title links to that exercise's own alternatives page. Harder versions are tagged as progressions and kept out of the top spot even when they score higher.

  1. Wheel RunPlay demonstration

    1. Wheel Run

    90% match

    Cardio · Intermediate · Compound

    Pick this when you want an easier version that still works the heart and lungs.

    • Bodyweight
    How to perform it
    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.

    Sets and reps: Work for 30 to 60 seconds, rest as long as you worked, and repeat 6 to 10 times.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: running, the same as the Push To Run
    • Primary muscle: your heart and lungs, the same as the Push To Run
    • Equipment: bodyweight only, the same as the Push To Run
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Push To Run
  5. Linear 3-part Start Technique

    5. Linear 3-part Start Technique

    84% match

    Hamstrings · Intermediate · Compound

    A looser match: it uses the same equipment, but it works the hamstrings rather than the heart and lungs.

    • Bodyweight
    How to perform it
    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.

    Sets and reps: Work for 30 to 60 seconds, rest as long as you worked, and repeat 6 to 10 times.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: hamstrings, not your heart and lungs
    • Equipment: bodyweight only, the same as the Push To Run
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Push To Run
  7. Skater HopsPlay demonstration

    Progression

    7. Skater Hops

    82% match

    Cardio · Advanced · Compound

    Pick this when you want a harder version that still works the heart and lungs.

    • Bodyweight
    How to perform it
    1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
    2. Bend your knees slightly and jump to the right, landing on your right foot.
    3. As you land, swing your left leg behind your right leg and tap the ground with your left toes.
    4. Immediately jump to the left, landing on your left foot.
    5. As you land, swing your right leg behind your left leg and tap the ground with your right toes.
    6. Continue alternating sides, jumping and tapping the ground with each leg.
    7. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: Work for 30 to 60 seconds, rest as long as you worked, and repeat 6 to 10 times.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: your heart and lungs, the same as the Push To Run
    • Equipment: bodyweight only, the same as the Push To Run
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Push To Run
    • Balance: harder to stay steady on than the Push To Run

Push To Run FAQ

What muscles does Push To Run work?

Push To Run primarily stresses the cardiovascular system while recruiting quads, glutes, calves, hip flexors, and core for repeated propulsion. Biomechanically it cycles hip extension and ankle plantarflexion to generate forward force, and the core stabilizes the pelvis under high metabolic load.

Find Alternatives for Any Exercise

Search the exercise database and filter the ranked substitutes by the equipment you own.