Duration exercise

Flutter Kick form, muscles worked, and workout tracking

The flutter kick is a timed supine core drill in which the legs alternate small, rapid up-and-down kicks while hovering off the floor, loading the lower rectus abdominis and hip flexors isometrically as they resist the legs' leverage. It is a staple of military-style conditioning and swim training, used to build abdominal endurance and pelvic control under sustained fatigue rather than maximal strength.

Flutter Kick illustration

How to do Flutter Kick

  1. 1Lie on your back with your legs extended, hands under your hips or flat at your sides, and lift both heels a few inches off the floor.
  2. 2Press your lower back into the ground and brace your core before the first kick.
  3. 3Kick your legs up and down in small, rapid, alternating pulses, keeping the knees nearly straight and toes pointed.
  4. 4Do not let your lower back arch off the floor or the kicks grow so large that your hips rock.
  5. 5Breathe in a steady rhythm rather than holding your breath, and continue kicking for the prescribed time, resting only when form breaks.

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Track Flutter Kick in Plates

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