Struggling with tight hips, a stiff lower back, or hip deformity? You can find relief and improved mobility with a simple yet effective exercise: kicking. Movement expert and personal trainer Mike Chang points out that kicks are an underrated technique for improving flexibility and strength in your lower body.
Contrary to what you might think, kicking isn’t just for martial artists. It is a powerful tool for increasing the mobility of your hips, shoulders and lower back. Chang wrote:1
“Kicking is a great way to tone your hips, thighs, and lower back. It’s often overlooked and treated more like a martial arts exercise than an exercise to increase lower body mobility.
It also increases your balance, strengthens your core, ankles, knees, and increases leg strength by shifting your weight to one leg. The most important thing to remember when you start doing kicks is to do a little bit each day to improve your body’s ability to perform the exercise.
Start slowly to build your strength
Incorporating kicks into your daily routine offers many benefits. Not only will it stretch and loosen tight muscles, it will improve your balance and strengthen your core, ankles, and feet. Knees. By shifting your weight onto one leg, you naturally build leg strength, which is important for overall stability and agility.2
Chang emphasizes the importance of consistency, suggesting that you start with just a few minutes each day. Start with gentle movements such as kneeling or low kicks, and increase the intensity and volume of movement as your body adapts.3
Patience and progressive practice are key. You don’t need to perform high kicks immediately; Instead, focus on slowly extending your legs and feeling the stretch in your muscles. Over time, your body regenerates itself, making it easier to achieve higher kicks and greater flexibility.
Control different strokes for improved body movement
Incorporating different types of kicks into your workout can effectively strengthen your core, hips, and knees. Each stroke involves different muscle groups and provides specific benefits, contributing to overall body flexibility and stability.
• Front kick – Stretching and strengthening your front thighs and hips – The front kick is a basic move that primarily engages your quadriceps, hip flexors, lower abdominals, and glutes.4 This kick effectively strengthens your shoulder and hip flexors, improving their flexibility and reducing stiffness.
This activity also increases The mobility of your waistIt allows for greater range of motion and better posture. Regular exercise increases lower back flexibility as your core moves to stabilize your body during kicking. To perform a front kick:
- Stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart, hands in front of your face.
- Raise the knee to the chest, bend at 90 degrees.
- Quickly extend your leg forward, lift your foot toward the target, and keep your body straight.
- Quickly return your foot to the starting position to maintain balance and prepare for the next kick.
• Side kicks – to increase lateral flexibility and hip mobility – Side kicks target your quadriceps, glutes and obliques, especially when they involve twisting the body. Side kicks stretch the muscles in your hips and thighs, improving lateral flexibility and hip mobility.
This pose encourages maximum hip rotation and stability, which are important for maintaining balance and preventing lower back strain. In addition, the dynamic movement helps to release tension in your lower back, which contributes to the overall flexibility of the spine. Here’s how to perform a side kick:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, one foot slightly behind the other.
- Lift the knee out to the side, keep it bent.
- For extra power, rotate your hips and extend your legs to the side, pushing your legs in a straight line.
- Slowly return your leg to the position.
• Roundhouse Kick – Increases rotational movement and lower back flexibility – A roundhouse kick, also known as a swing kick. Engages your quadricepsGlutes and lower back muscles. This kick will greatly improve the range of motion in your hips and lower back. The circular motion stretches your glutes and engages your lower back muscles, increasing flexibility and reducing stiffness.
This kick promotes better spinal mobility for smoother and more controlled movement during daily activities and athletic performance. To perform a roundhouse kick:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, your hands protecting your face.
- Turn your supporting leg out by rotating on the balls of your feet to rotate your hips.
- Bring your knees up to your chest in preparation for swinging your legs.
- Swing your feet in a circular motion, hitting the target with the top of your foot or shin.
- Quickly return your leg to the position and return to the starting position.
• Back Kick – Strengthens the posterior chain and increases hamstring flexibility – Back kicks specifically target your glutes, hamstrings, core muscles, lower back and hip flexors. They focus on your posterior chain, which is important for overall lower body stability, while increasing the flexibility and strength of your hamstrings and glutes.
By engaging your lower back and hip flexors, this kick encourages greater mobility in your hips and reduces tightness in your lower back. Strengthening these muscles supports better posture and relieves discomfort in your hips, which contributes to overall lower body flexibility. Here’s how to perform a back kick:
- Stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart, hands in front of your face.
- Lift the knee behind you, bend at a 90 degree angle.
- Extend your legs straight back, driving your heels into the target and keeping your body still.
- Slowly return your leg to the position.
• Flutter Kicks – Increase core and hip flexor mobility – While not a traditional martial arts kick, whip kicks are a great exercise for targeting your lower abs, hip flexors, and quadriceps.5 Flutter kicks improve core stability and hip flexibility by engaging your lower abs and quadriceps.
This exercise promotes flexibility in your pelvic area, reduces stiffness and improves range of motion. In addition, pushups support lower back health by strengthening the core muscles that stabilize your spine, leading to increased overall mobility and reduced risk of back pain. To perform swing strokes:
- Lie on your back with your legs outstretched and your arms at your sides.
- Lift your heels about 6 inches off the ground and alternately kick your legs up and down in a quick swinging motion.
- Keep your lower back pressed against the floor and maintain steady breathing.
General muscle engagement – supporting lower body movement and flexibility
Regardless of the type of kick, several muscle groups are constantly involved in providing stability and balance. Proper form and technique during kicking exercises will ensure that these muscle groups are effectively targeted, increasing your overall lower body mobility and flexibility. Consistent exercise promotes balanced muscle growth and joint stability to help loosen tight muscles, increase range of motion, and prevent injuries.
- Main muscles – Your core stabilizes your body during kicks, ensuring balance and proper form.
- Lower leg muscles The gastrocnemius, soleus and tibialis anterior ankles and feet support smooth, controlled movements.
- Thigh muscles – Engaging the hip muscles is important to generate power and control the movement of your leg during kicking.
By learning these different types of kicks and understanding the unique benefits they offer to loosen and increase range of motion in your hips, pelvis, and back, you’ll create an overall workout that improves flexibility and lower body health. Incorporate these kicks into your daily workout for improved mobility, reduced muscle stiffness, and a more agile, fit body.
Walking helps maintain muscle strength and mobility
As you age, maintaining muscle strength and mobility becomes important to maintaining independence and a high quality of life. Stepping exercises provide a direct and effective way to achieve these goals, especially for older adults who may have limited mobility or are recovering from an injury.
A study published in Healthcare found that simple kicking exercises, such as kicking a balloon while lying in bed, significantly improved muscle strength in the lower limbs of older women with mild Alzheimer’s disease. sarcopenia.6 Although the participants are specific, the principles apply broadly – engaging in regular kicking exercises will strengthen your lower back muscles, including your shoulders, quadriceps and glutes.
The participants lay in bed and kicked a balloon attached to the ceiling, performing this exercise five times a week for 30 minutes over 12 weeks. This approach has resulted in significant improvements in muscle strength, which is important for maintaining joint flexibility and overall mobility.
The study showed that participants who performed the kicking exercise continuously showed significant increases in hip flexion and knee extension strength. These findings are important for increasing the range of motion in your hips and knees, reducing stiffness, and promoting smooth, controlled movements.
Improved muscle strength in these areas supports better balance and coordination, which are key factors in preventing falls and injuries. In addition, the engagement of the core and lower back muscles during kicking exercises contributes to the stability and alignment of the spine.
This approach is particularly useful for individuals with limited physical activity, providing a safe and effective way to maintain physical health without the need for extensive equipment or strenuous activity.
Whether you’re sitting and doing gentle kicks or participating in dynamic activities, these exercises help build a strong and flexible lower body, maintain autonomy, and enjoy an active and fulfilling life.
A hug for sustainable mobility and security
Incorporating kick exercises into your daily routine provides an easy approach to relieving tight hips, a stiff lower back, and uncomfortable abdominal tissue. The versatility of kicking goes beyond traditional martial arts, providing versatile benefits including increased flexibility and strength. In addition to the immediate improvements in muscle flexibility and joint mobility, jogging promotes better posture and spinal health, which is important for overall well-being.
Recent developments in Wearable technology It can further improve your kicking routine by providing feedback to help maximize the effectiveness of each exercise. Also combining kicking exercises with cognitive exercises, e.g Correct breathing And with a focused purpose, it emphasizes the benefits of increasing relaxation and reducing muscle tension.
Additionally, community-based programs and virtual classes are making kicking exercises—from martial arts to kickboxing—more accessible, offering support and guidance to individuals of all fitness levels. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned professional, these resources will help you stay motivated and consistent in your practice. That said, even performing daily kicks at home is beneficial to advancing your fitness goals.
In the end, embracing kicking as a regular exercise routine not only loosens tight muscles, but also builds a strong and agile body, paving the way for a healthy and active lifestyle. Get started today and experience the lasting benefits of this dynamic and empowering practice.
