Pilates Single Leg Kick: How to Do It and Muscles Worked

How to do the Single Leg Kick

Lie face down on your mat and prop yourself up on your forearms with your elbows directly under your shoulders. Keep your legs extended straight behind you and press your pelvis gently into the floor.

1. Lift your chest and draw your abdominals in to support your lower back.
2. Hover both legs slightly off the mat while keeping them straight.
3. Bend your right knee to kick your heel toward your glutes with a double pulsing motion.
4. Straighten your right leg back to the starting hover position.
5. Bend your left knee and pulse your left heel toward your glutes twice.
6. Extend your left leg back to the hover.
7. Continue alternating legs while keeping your upper body completely still.

• Breath. Teachers cue breathing differently, but a common pattern is to inhale sharply twice as you pulse the heel in, and exhale as you extend the leg. You might also be taught to exhale on the kicks and inhale on the extension.
• Where you feel it. You should feel strong work in the backs of your thighs and your glutes, along with a steady effort in your back muscles and core. You should not feel any pinching or sharp pain in your lower back.
• How many. 5 to 8 repetitions per leg

Common mistakes

• Sinking into the shoulders. Push actively through your forearms to keep your chest lifted and your neck long.
• Rocking the pelvis. Engage your abdominals to keep your hips anchored firmly to the mat as your legs move.
• Hyperextending the lower back. Focus on lifting your chest forward and lengthening the spine rather than dumping weight into your lower back, keeping your core engaged.
• Kicking too aggressively. Control the knee flexion so you rely on your hamstrings instead of momentum.

Make it easier or harder

Easier

• Rest your forehead on your stacked hands instead of propping up on your forearms.
• Perform a single, slow kick without the double pulse.
• Keep your resting leg completely on the mat instead of hovering it.

Harder

• Increase the tempo of your kicks while maintaining perfect upper body stillness.
• Hover your thighs slightly higher off the mat to increase the demand on your gluteus maximus.

Who should be careful

• Back extension can irritate some conditions, such as spinal stenosis or spondylolisthesis. Keep the lift small or skip it if it brings on back or leg symptoms.
• Lying face down is not suitable later in pregnancy, and can be uncomfortable after recent abdominal surgery.

Related exercises

• Double Leg Kick Intermediate
• Swan Dive Advanced (prep version beginner)
• Control Balance Advanced
• Leg Pull Back Advanced
• Pelvic Curl Beginner

When to see a doctor or physical therapist

• Sharp or shooting pain in your lower back.
• Numbness or tingling traveling down your legs.
• Sudden pain in your knee joint during the kick.
• Pain in your shoulders or neck that prevents you from supporting your weight.

This page is general education, not a diagnosis or treatment plan. If you have a health condition, are pregnant or are recovering from an injury or surgery, check with your own clinician before trying new exercises.

How we put this page together. Exercise data (type, level, equipment and muscles) was compiled by our editors from the classical mat order in Joseph Pilates’ 1945 book and from commonly taught mat repertoire. Muscle lists are a general anatomy guide; cueing differs between teachers. Text drafted with AI assistance and checked by the Editorial Team. See our editorial policy. Last checked October 2026.