How to do Flutter Kicks
Reviewed by Jim Parker, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About Flutter Kicks
Workouts with Flutter Kicks
Target muscles worked
Instructions for Proper Form
Flutter Kicks are a bodyweight core exercise that have you lay on a bench with your legs extended out over one end. This exercise is very similar to Scissor Kicks with the added benefit of having more room under your legs. This can give you a bit more range of motion as your leg descends.
- Lie face up on a bench with your legs extended. Place your mid thigh on the back edge of the bench.
- Grab the bench firmly underneath it.
- Keep your knees extended as you raise one leg.
- Keep tension on the hamstring and glute as you lower your leg.
- Once the leg has returned to the starting position, repeat with the opposite leg.
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Flutter Kicks are also known as:
- Scissor Kicks
- Leg Kicks
- Elevated Flutter Kicks
What muscles do Flutter Kicks work?
Flutter kicks primarily work the lower abdominal muscles, including the rectus abdominis and the lower part of the transverse abdominis. They also engage the hip flexors, particularly the iliopsoas, as well as the quadriceps. Additionally, flutter kicks help strengthen the lower back muscles and improve overall core stability and endurance.
Do Flutter Kicks burn belly fat?
Butterfly kicks help strengthen and tone the core muscles, but do not specifically target belly fat. Spot reduction, or losing fat from a specific area through targeted exercises, is a common misconception. To effectively burn belly fat, a combination of overall calorie deficit through diet, cardiovascular exercise, and full-body strength training is necessary.
Common Form Mistakes
Dropping Your Heels
Don’t allow your heels to drop between reps. Keep them elevated throughout the entire exercise. You would be able to perform more reps by giving yourself some time to rest between reps, however it will make this exercise less effective. Focus on keeping your core engaged, and your legs elevated.
Sets & Reps Calculator
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Alternative Exercises to Flutter Kicks
1. Crunches
94 mSCORESWAPPED 2,768 TIMESCrunches are one of the most common exercises out there. It’s an easy to perform, bodyweight exercise that targets your abdominals. Crunches are very similar to Sit Ups, however, instead of raising your upper body all the way into a near sitting position, you only raise your shoulder blades off the ground. This is a great exercise for beginners looking to build core strength.
- Beginner
- Abs
2. Leg Raise
96.5 mSCORESWAPPED 2,493 TIMESLeg Raise is a simple bodyweight core exercise that involves laying on the ground and suspending your legs in the air. While your core does play a significant role in raising your legs, the real benefit comes from controlling their descent back to the floor.
- Beginner
- Abs
3. Plank
92.8 mSCORESWAPPED 2,384 TIMESPlanks are one of the most common core exercises out there. This is a bodyweight exercise that is performed for time rather than reps. Planks don’t require any movement, instead they force you to place yourself in a position that requires you to engage your core, and maintain that muscle activation for the duration of the exercise. This is a great way to help build strength and stability in a way that will translate to a variety of other exercises, and your daily life.
- Beginner
- Abs
4. Scissor Kick
94.2 mSCORESWAPPED 2,343 TIMESScissor Kicks are a bodyweight, core exercise that involve raising your feet off the ground, and kicking your legs up and down. By raising your legs off the ground, you’re already working your core. By continually alternating which leg is raised, you’re constantly forced to keep your core engaged for stability as well as to keep each leg raised.
- Beginner
- Abs
5. Bicycle Crunch
91.8 mSCORESWAPPED 2,295 TIMESBicycle Crunch is a more difficult version of a standard crunch. Instead of raising your torso off the ground for each rep, you keep your torso off the ground, and your core engaged. By cycling your legs, you add more instability to the movement, which leads to better core activation.
- Beginner
- Abs
6. Russian Twist
96.2 mSCORESWAPPED 1,834 TIMESRussian Twist is one of the more common core exercises. This exercise targets multiple muscles in your core, but the reason for including this exercise is usually to target your obliques. By raising your feet off the ground, engaging your core, and twisting to each side, you can better target this specific muscle in your core.
- Beginner
- Abs
7. Ab Crunch Machine
96.1 mSCORESWAPPED 1,764 TIMESAb Crunch Machine is a variation of Crunches performed with a machine. Unlike standard Crunches, the use of a machine gives you more control over your resistance. In addition, the machine will restrict your range of motion allowing you to focus more on exertion than stabilizing the movement.
- Intermediate
- Abs
- Ab Crunch Machine
8. Sit Up
93.8 mSCORESWAPPED 1,304 TIMESSit Up is one of the most common exercises out there. It’s a bodyweight exercise that targets your core. Sit Ups are very similar to Crunches, however, rather than raising just your shoulder blades off the ground, you raise your entire upper body. This gives you a bit more range of motion than Crunches, however you’ll start to lose some tension in your core at the top of the movement.
- Beginner
- Abs