Lying Frog Kick
Lying Frog Kick Exercise Description
The lying frog kick is a bodyweight hip-focused core drill performed on your back with the hips externally rotated and the soles of the feet together. It trains controlled hip flexion and extension while the trunk remains stable, with the iliopsoas and rectus femoris acting as primary movers and the abdominal wall (rectus abdominis and obliques) bracing to maintain lumbopelvic control. The frog position shortens the leg lever compared with straight-leg raises, helping you emphasize smooth motion at the hips without excessive lumbar extension. Consistent technique builds better awareness of pelvic tilt and hip position during leg movement, which transfers to many daily and athletic tasks requiring coordinated hip action. Keep the range comfortable and prioritize spinal alignment and controlled rhythm over how far the legs travel.
- Muscle Groups: Hips, Quads
- Target Muscles: Iliacus, Psoas Major, Rectus Femoris
- Assisting Muscles: Sartorius, Tensor Fasciae Latae
- Stabilizing Muscles: External Obliques, Internal Obliques, Obturator Internus, Piriformis, Rectus Abdominis
- Body Area: Lower Body
- Body Parts: Hips, Legs, Upper Legs
- Body Surface: Front
- Body Symmetry: Bilateral
- Equipment: Bodyweight
- Exercise Patterns: Other
- Exercise Type: Strength
- Functional Grouping: Hip Flexors, Knee Extensors
- Joint Involvement: Single-joint
- Muscle Location: Front Quad, Hip Flexor
- Movement Direction: Horizontal
- Muscle Position: Anterior
- Gender: Female
How To Do The Lying Frog Kick Exercise
‘- Lie supine on a mat; head relaxed, ribs stacked, arms by your sides with palms down (option: hands lightly under the pelvis for comfort without tilting it).
– Set the trunk: brace the abdominal wall and create a light posterior pelvic tilt so the lower back stays gently in contact with the floor.
– Bring the soles of your feet together (heels touching), let the knees open to the sides, and keep the hips externally rotated.
– Start with the hips flexed; shins angled toward your torso. Ankles relaxed or lightly dorsiflexed.
– Exhale and extend the legs away on a low diagonal, stopping just before the low back tries to arch or the ribs flare.
– Inhale and draw the knees back toward the chest by flexing at the hips; keep the feet together and pelvis level.
– Move slowly and smoothly; keep the neck neutral, shoulders relaxed, and the floor contact of your low back consistent.
– End the set if you feel lumbar arching, pelvic rocking, or pinching at the front of the hip that you cannot correct.
Lying Frog Kick Tips
‘- Brace the abdominal wall and create a light posterior pelvic tilt so the low back stays gently in contact with the floor.
– Keep the soles of your feet together, knees open to the sides, and hips externally rotated throughout the movement.
– Start with the hips flexed, shins angled toward your torso, and ankles relaxed or lightly dorsiflexed.
– Exhale as you extend the legs away on a low diagonal.
– Stop the leg extension just before the low back tries to arch or the ribs begin to flare.
– Inhale as you draw the knees back toward the chest by flexing at the hips, keeping the feet together.
– Keep the pelvis level and avoid pelvic rocking as the legs move.
– Move slowly and smoothly, maintaining a neutral neck, relaxed shoulders, and consistent low-back contact with the floor.
– Prioritize a comfortable range, spinal alignment, and a controlled rhythm over how far the legs travel.
– End the set if you notice lumbar arching, pelvic rocking, or pinching at the front of the hip that you cannot correct.
Lying Frog Kick Beginner Introduction
The lying frog kick is a floor-based, bodyweight drill that links hip movement with core stability. It is done lying face-up, with the legs in a frog-like shape—knees widened, thighs turned outward, and feet pressed together—to create a shorter leg lever than straight-leg variations. This bent-leg setup places the spotlight on controlled motion at the hips rather than on sheer leverage or momentum.
During the exercise, the hips move through a smooth arc of bending and straightening while the upper body stays quiet against the ground. The main work centers on the hip flexors and the front of the thighs, while the abs and side abs tighten to steady the lower back and pelvis. The emphasis sits on steady rhythm, clean alignment, and consistent contact of the low back with the floor, which encourages a clear sense of pelvic angle and hip position as the legs move. Over time, this can sharpen coordination for everyday activities and sports that rely on precise, well-timed hip action.