Legs · Bodyweight
Bear Plank Kickback
How to do the bear plank kickback, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- Extension
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Start on all fours with your knees hovering just off the floor in a bear plank, wrists under shoulders. Keeping your hips level, extend one leg straight back and up, squeezing your glute, then return the knee under your hip. Alternate legs while keeping your core tight and back flat.
- 1Glute squeezing hard as you kick the leg back
- 2Hips staying square and level, not rotating open
- 3Core bracing to keep your knees hovering
Common mistakes
- Don't let your hips twist as the leg lifts
- Avoid arching your lower back to kick higher
- Don't let your supporting knees drop to the floor
Muscles worked
The bear plank kickback mainly works the glutes, with the lower abs, hamstrings, lower back, upper abs, obliques, and front delts assisting.
- GlutesPrimary
- Lower AbsSupport
- HamstringsSupport
- Lower BackSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- ObliquesSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- TricepsMinor
- ForearmsMinor
- Upper TrapsMinor
- Mid TrapsMinor
- Lower TrapsMinor
- QuadsMinor
Kovo programs the bear plank kickback for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More glutes exercises
- How to do the agility ladder drill
- How to do the airdyne bike
- How to do the arc trainer
- How to do the assault bike
- How to do the medicine ball atlas stone lift
- How to do the b stance hip thrust
Last reviewed June 2026.