Legs · Bodyweight
Side Lying Single Leg Kick
How to do the side lying single leg kick, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Flexion
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Lie on your side with your legs stacked and straight, head supported on your bottom arm. Brace your core and kick the top leg forward in a controlled arc, then sweep it back behind you, keeping the leg long throughout.
- 1Feel your hip flexors and glutes drive the leg forward and back
- 2Keep your core braced so your torso stays still
- 3Move through a full range with the leg straight and long
Common mistakes
- Do not roll your hips forward or back as the leg swings
- Avoid arching your lower back when the leg sweeps behind
- Do not let momentum take over; control both directions
Muscles worked
The side lying single leg kick mainly works the hip flexors, with the glutes, lower abs, obliques, quads, and hamstrings assisting.
- Hip FlexorsPrimary
- GlutesSupport
- Lower AbsSupport
- ObliquesSupport
- QuadsSupport
- HamstringsSupport
- Lower BackMinor
- AdductorsMinor
Kovo programs the side lying single leg kick 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 hips & adductors exercises
- How to do the butterfly stretch
- How to do the external rotation
- How to do the cable hip adduction
- How to do the internal rotation
- How to do the cobra pose
- How to do the core scrunch
Last reviewed June 2026.