Lying Double Leg Kick

Lying Double Leg Kick Exercise Description

Lying Double Leg Kick is a prone Pilates-style stretch that blends gentle spinal extension with anterior-chain lengthening. You lie face down with hands clasped behind your back, perform two small heel-to-glute kicks, then lengthen the legs as you lift the chest and draw the shoulders back. The movement primarily stretches the chest and anterior shoulders, and can lengthen the hip flexors and quadriceps as the legs extend. It simultaneously engages the spinal extensors, gluteus maximus, and hamstrings to support controlled thoracic extension with a stable pelvis. Emphasis is on scapular retraction and depression, a long neutral neck, and smooth, pain‑free range—building awareness for balanced posture without compressing the lower back.

Muscle Groups: Chest, Delts, Pecs, Shoulders
Target Muscles: Deltoid - Anterior, Pectoralis Major - Sternal Head
Assisting Muscles: Psoas Major, Rectus Femoris
Stabilizing Muscles: Biceps Femoris - Long Head, Gluteus Maximus, Longissimus, Trapezius - Lower Fibers, Trapezius - Middle Fibers
Body Area: Upper Body
Body Parts: Chest, Shoulders
Body Surface: Front
Body Symmetry: Bilateral
Equipment: Bodyweight
Exercise Patterns: Other
Exercise Type: Stretching
Functional Grouping: Horizontal Shoulder Adduction, Shoulder Flexors
Joint Involvement: Multi-joint
Muscle Location: Front Shoulder, Mid Chest
Movement Direction: Other
Muscle Position: Anterior
Gender: Male

How To Do The Lying Double Leg Kick Exercise

‘- Lie prone. Turn one cheek to the mat. Place hands behind your back and interlace fingers (or hold a small strap), elbows resting toward the floor.
– Bring legs together or parallel hip-width, toes pointed lightly. Press the front of the pelvis and pubic bone gently into the mat.
– Lightly brace the abdominal wall to support neutral lumbar spine.
– Keep shoulders away from ears. Draw shoulder blades down and in (depression and retraction).
– Bend both knees and kick heels toward the glutes in two small, controlled pulses. Thighs stay heavy on the mat; hips level.
– Straighten the legs long, reaching them away as if lengthening through the toes.
– At the same time, extend the elbows and reach hands toward your feet, lifting the chest into gentle thoracic extension. Keep gaze slightly forward and down to maintain a long neck.
– Keep ribs connected and pelvis grounded to avoid hinging at the lower back.
– Lower the chest, bend the elbows, and turn the head to the opposite cheek to reset.
– Breathe smoothly throughout; avoid holding your breath.
– Move within a comfortable, pain‑free range. If clasping hands is uncomfortable, use a strap or keep forearms lightly behind the back.

Lying Double Leg Kick Tips

‘- Gently press the front of the pelvis and pubic bone into the mat to keep the pelvis grounded.
– Lightly brace the abdominal wall to help maintain a neutral lumbar spine.
– Keep shoulders away from the ears and draw the shoulder blades down and in as you move.
– When kicking, use two small, controlled pulses of the heels toward the glutes, with thighs heavy on the mat and hips level.
– As you straighten the legs, reach them long as if lengthening through the toes.
– Lift the chest into only a gentle thoracic extension, keeping the ribs connected and avoiding a hinge at the lower back.
– Reach the hands toward the feet by fully extending the elbows while maintaining scapular depression and retraction.
– Maintain a long neck by keeping the gaze slightly forward and down rather than lifting the chin.
– Turn the head to the opposite cheek each time you reset to balance neck rotation.
– Breathe smoothly throughout the movement and stay within a comfortable, pain‑free range; use a strap or keep forearms behind the back if clasping hands is uncomfortable.

Lying Double Leg Kick Beginner Introduction

Lying Double Leg Kick is a Pilates-inspired prone stretch that combines a gentle back lift with an opening through the front of the body. The person rests face down, arms positioned behind the torso, and alternates between a pair of short knee bends toward the glutes and a lengthening phase where the legs reach long and the chest rises. As the chest lifts and the arms extend, the front of the shoulders and chest experience a broad, spacious stretch. When the legs extend away from the hips, the front thighs and hip flexors are also encouraged to lengthen.

Throughout the movement, the back, glutes, and hamstrings support the upper-back arch while the pelvis stays anchored. The shoulder blades glide downward and inward, creating a sense of open collarbones rather than tension in the neck. Breathing remains smooth, and the head stays aligned with the spine for a long, relaxed neck. Many people either clasp the hands, hold a short strap, or rest the forearms behind the body, depending on comfort, all with the shared aim of building awareness for balanced posture without strain in the lower back.