![]() And may be the reason you’ve avoided this exercise or not experienced the full benefits of the movement… ![]() The slight elevation adds tension and stress on the spine. Here’s where most people go wrong with this exercise… They arch their lower back.Įver notice how your lower back curves when you lay flat on the floor?ĭing, ding, ding! That’s the cause of your lower back pain… If you want, skip to the flutter kicks at the 1:59 mark… Frank Medrano has got em’ down pat.įlutter Kick Abs – You’re Doing It Wrong? The obliques, along the sides of your abdomen… and your quadriceps stabilize the exercise, therefore triggering muscular work at the sides of your waist and at the top of your legs. Therefore, along with your rectus abdominis working, you’re also engaging your thighs (the secondary muscles working)… The hip flexors, which are attached to your pelvis, are the primary movers in this exercise. During the flutter kick, your ab muscles remained flexed the entire time, thus heavily engaging your rectus abdominis.Īnd this exercise works more than your midsection. The #1 way to engage these muscles is to flex or bend the torso at the waist. Your rectus abdominis is the front section of your midsection. Let’s take a look at the primary muscles being worked… It’s not their fault… they’re just misunderstood. You see, over the years, flutter kick abs exercises have gotten a bad wrap as being “wimpy”. However, flutter kicks are an amazing exercise that so many are ignoring. Straighten your legs and flutter them 4 times-lift left leg, then right, then left, then right.I’m redeeming flutter kick abs exercises for all mankind with this single solitary article. Use your abdominals to perform a single crunch, lifting your chest and bending your knees. Interlace fingers behind your head and, drawing belly button toward spine, lift head, shoulders, and feet a few inches off the floor. Lie faceup with legs straight and feet flexed. Continuing to flutter your legs, lower them until they’re hovering a few inches above the floor. Drawing belly button toward spine, use your abdominals to simultaneously raise and flutter your legs-lift left leg, then right, then left, and repeat-until both legs are at a 90-degree angle. Place both hands palms down on either side of hips for support. Continue to switch and cross legs in a scissor motion. Draw legs apart and switch them, crossing right leg over left. Draw both legs in toward midline, crossing left leg over right. Drawing belly button toward spine, use your abdominals to lift your left leg 45 degrees off the floor and right leg 6 inches from floor. Drawing belly button toward spine, use your abdominals to lift legs about 45 degrees off the floor and flutter them-lift left leg, then right, then left, and repeat. → Join Runner’s World+! for more core-strengthening exercises and exclusive workouts!□ Flutter Kick Perform each exercise for 45 seconds, resting 15 seconds between exercises.Įach move is demonstrated by Jason Hardy, certified trainer, in the video above so you can master the proper form. How to Use This List: Pick 2 flutter kick variations to incorporate into your existing core workout. As you build core strength and perfect the standard flutter kick, up the challenge with a couple of Miklaus’s favorite flutter kick variations Starting with the basic flutter kick, make sure your lower back is pressed against the ground and aim to keep your legs straight and raised at a 45-degree angle (at first, you may need to lift your legs higher or bend the knees slightly). “Working all these muscles is an integral part of any cross-training plan for runners to help strengthen all the muscles needed for a powerful stride.” “Flutter kicks also work your glutes, hip flexors, and quads,” she says. But the benefits of flutter kicks go beyond the core, explains Kara Miklaus, trainer and owner of WORK in Irvine, California. It only takes a few seconds of flutter kicks to set your abs-especially the hard-to-target lower abdominal wall-on fire.
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