What muscles does the Barbell Step Up Knee Drive work?

Mainly the quads. It also works the glutes.

What equipment do you need for the Barbell Step Up Knee Drive?

It uses a barbell. Without it, the Dumbbell Rear Lunge and the Front-Foot-Elevated Split Squat train the same muscles the same way.

GymVim rates it intermediate. For a beginner-rated exercise on the same muscle and movement, see the Bodyweight Reverse Lunge.

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A back-racked step-up with a driving knee at the top — single-leg quad and glute strength with explosive hip drive built in.

Set a sturdy box at about knee height and rack the bar across your upper back.
Stand close to the box, brace your core, and place one foot fully flat on top of it.
Drive through the full foot on the box to stand tall, keeping the chest up and bar steady.
At the top, drive the trailing knee up and forward to hip height in a sprint-style action.
Lower that leg back down and step the foot off the box under control with no thud.
Reset to the starting position and repeat for the prescribed reps before switching legs.

Pushing off the trailing leg instead of driving through the working leg on top of the box.
Choosing a box that's too tall, which forces a hip-shift and removes tension from the quads.
Letting the torso fold forward under the bar, which turns the lift into a heavy good morning.
Stepping down hard from the box, which beats up the joints and breaks position between reps.

What muscles does the Barbell Step Up Knee Drive work?: Mainly the quads. It also works the glutes.
What equipment do you need for the Barbell Step Up Knee Drive?: It uses a barbell. Without it, the Dumbbell Rear Lunge and the Front-Foot-Elevated Split Squat train the same muscles the same way.
Is the Barbell Step Up Knee Drive good for beginners?: GymVim rates it intermediate. For a beginner-rated exercise on the same muscle and movement, see the Bodyweight Reverse Lunge.