Legs · Bodyweight
Squat Side Power Kick
How to do the squat side power kick, 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
- Squat
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Drop into a bodyweight squat, then drive up explosively and fire a side kick out to one side at hip height. Reset back into the squat and repeat, alternating the kicking leg each rep.
- 1Glutes and quads exploding out of the squat
- 2The side of your hip driving the kick out
- 3A braced core keeping you balanced as you kick
Common mistakes
- Kicking before you are stable out of the squat
- Letting the standing knee cave in on landing
- Leaning too far away to throw the kick higher
Muscles worked
The squat side power kick mainly works the glutes and quads, with the lower abs, obliques, hamstrings, calves, adductors, and hip flexors assisting.
- GlutesPrimary
- QuadsPrimary
- Lower AbsSupport
- ObliquesSupport
- HamstringsSupport
- CalvesSupport
- AdductorsSupport
- Hip FlexorsSupport
- Lower BackMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
- External RotatorsMinor
Kovo programs the squat side power 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 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.