Legs · Bodyweight
Standing Side Kick
How to do the standing side 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
- Reps
- Movement
- Flexion
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Stand tall on one leg with a slight knee bend in the support leg. Lift the other leg straight out to the side as high as your hips allow, then lower with control. Keep your torso upright and hold something for balance if needed.
- 1Feel the outer hip and glute of the kicking leg lifting it up
- 2Keep the support leg steady with a soft knee
- 3Stay tall through the torso as the leg rises
Common mistakes
- Don't lean your torso away to throw the leg higher
- Avoid rotating the hip so the kick goes forward instead of sideways
- Don't use momentum; lift and lower under control
Muscles worked
The standing side kick mainly works the glutes, with the lower abs, obliques, adductors, and hip flexors assisting.
- GlutesPrimary
- Lower AbsSupport
- ObliquesSupport
- AdductorsSupport
- Hip FlexorsSupport
- Upper AbsMinor
- QuadsMinor
- HamstringsMinor
- CalvesMinor
- Tibialis AnteriorMinor
Kovo programs the standing side 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.