How to do a Scissor Kick
Reviewed by Jim Parker, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
Workouts with Scissor Kick
Target muscles worked
Instructions for Proper Form
Scissor 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.
- Lie on your back with your legs extended and your arms at your sides with your palms facing down.
- Brace your core by breathing into your stomach and flexing your abdominal muscles to prevent your lower back from lifting off of the ground.
- Raise your right leg 2-3” above the ground and your left leg 45 degrees from the floor keeping them both extended with slight knee flexion.
- Lower your left leg to 2-3” above the ground while simultaneously raising your right leg up to 45 degrees.
- 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
Average Scissor Kick standards by male, female, gender, weight, age and height
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Alternatives & Variations to Scissor Kick
1. Ab Crunch Machine
96.1 mSCORESWAPPED 2,355 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
2. Crunches
94 mSCORESWAPPED 2,113 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.
3. Plank
92.8 mSCORESWAPPED 1,782 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.
4. Russian Twist
96.2 mSCORESWAPPED 1,493 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.
5. Leg Raise
96.5 mSCORESWAPPED 1,346 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.
6. Sit Up
93.8 mSCORESWAPPED 1,289 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.
7. Bicycle Crunch
91.8 mSCORESWAPPED 1,221 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.
8. Vertical Knee Raise
92 mSCORESWAPPED 1,213 TIMESVertical Knee Raise is a bodyweight core exercise that involves suspending yourself, and then engaging your core to raise your knees towards your chest. By keeping your torso upright, and raising your knees, this exercise is a bit better for building functional, real world strength.