How to do a Scissor Crossover Kick
Reviewed by JP Michelsen, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About Scissor Crossover Kick
Target muscles worked
Instructions for Proper Form
Scissor Crossover Kick is a variation on Scissor Kicks. Like Scissor Kicks, this is a bodyweight core exercise, however, instead of alternating kicking your legs up and down, you cross your legs in front of you. By elevating your feet off the ground, you’re already working your core, and by adding the crossover, you add instability to the movement that your core needs to stabilize.
- Lie on your back with your legs extended and your arms at your sides with your palms facing down.
- Brace your core to prevent your lower back from lifting off of the ground.
- Raise your legs 1-2’ above the ground outside shoulder-width apart keeping them extended with slight knee flexion.
- Cross your right leg over the left as you move your left leg underneath the right.
- Return to the starting position repeating with the left leg overtop.
- Continue alternating for allotted repetitions or time.
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 Scissor Crossover Kick
1. Ab Crunch Machine
96.1 mSCORESWAPPED 1,911 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.
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2. Crunches
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3. Plank
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4. Vertical Knee Raise
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6. Sit Up
93.8 mSCORESWAPPED 995 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.
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7. Russian Twist
96.2 mSCORESWAPPED 991 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.
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8. Cable Crunch
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