Squat Side Kick | Illustrated Exercise Guide

Primary muscles: Thighs, hips, glutes
Secondary muscles: Core, lower back, calves
Equipment: No equipment

SQUAT SIDE KICK INSTRUCTIONS

1. Start in a squat position with your hips back and your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. As you stand up switch your weight to the right leg and lift your left leg out to the side.
3. Return to the squat position and repeat with the right leg.

PROPER FORM AND BREATHING PATTERN

Keep your chest up, your hips back and engage your core. Inhale as you squat and don’t let your knees extend beyond the toes. Breathe out as you shift your weight to one leg and maintain your back aligned as you kick to the side.

EXERCISE BENEFITS

The squat side kick is a dynamic variation of the bodyweight squat with an additional lateral movement. You can add this exercise to your warm up, cardio or lower body workout. Asides from the benefits to your legs and glutes, this exercise is also very challenging to your core muscles. You can expect to see improvements in your stability and an increase in muscle strength.

DEMONSTRATION

SETS AND REPS

Add the squat side kick to your warm up or cardio routine and repeat the exercise, at a fast pace, for 30 seconds to 1 minute. You can also add the squat side kick to your lower body workout. Do 10 to 15 reps on each side and focus on really working on your legs and glutes. Go into a deeper squat and kick your legs slowly and as high as you can without losing form.