Flutter Kicks
Lying on your back with legs long, you kick the legs alternately up and down in small, quick beats while the lower back stays pressed into the floor. Flutter kicks train the abs and hip flexors to hold the pelvis steady underneath moving legs. Coached by Maddy (NASM-CPT) — these are the exact form cues he gives on every client's first week.
Muscles worked
Sets & reps by goal
| Goal | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Strength | 4 sets × 15-20 sec of slow, exaggerated kicks | 60-90 sec |
| Muscle | 3 sets × 30-40 sec | 45-60 sec |
| Endurance | 2-3 sets × 45-75 sec | 30-45 sec |
Level — Beginner
Beginner at high leg angles — the exercise scales itself as the legs lower toward the floor.
Proper form — 5 cues
- Press the lower back into the mat and keep it glued there — that contact is the exercise.
- Slide the hands under the tailbone if the back keeps peeling up.
- Kick from the hips with the legs nearly straight and the toes long.
- Keep the beats small — roughly 15-30 cm of travel per leg.
- Fix the head and shoulders in one position with the chin softly tucked.
Breathing: Steady rhythmic breathing throughout — never trade breath-holding for a flatter back.
The 3 mistakes Maddy corrects most
Common questions
Are flutter kicks good for lower abs?
They load the abdominal wall hard in its anti-extension role — resisting the arch the moving legs try to create — and that tension sits low on the torso, which is why the burn lands there. No exercise isolates a lower segment of the rectus in a meaningful way, but flutters are a legitimate staple for the region.
At what height should my legs flutter?
Wherever your lower back can stay pressed into the floor — for beginners that is often 45 degrees or higher, and with training the sustainable height drops toward a low hover. Leg height is your live difficulty dial: the lower the legs, the harder the abs must fight, so earn each centimetre rather than chasing it.
How long should a set of flutter kicks last?
Measure sets in seconds of quality rather than kick counts: twenty to forty seconds suits most trainees, ending the moment the back peels up or the knees bend. Three or four such sets beat one heroic multi-minute grind, because everything after form breaks trains the wrong pattern entirely.
Related exercises
Harder: Flutter Kicks (Intermediate)
Browse: All core exercises · All hips & inner thighs exercises · All bodyweight exercises · Full exercise library
This is one exercise. Your plan is the other 99%.
Maddy hand-builds training around your exact body — schedule, recovery, injuries, food culture. It starts with a 3-minute scan.
Start My Body Scan → 11 questions · 3 min · free · no card yet