How to do Front Kicks

Difficulty: Easy

Impact Level: Normal

Target Body Parts: abs, quadriceps

Instructions

Stand up tall with good posture and raise your arms up straight in front of you to shoulder height. Then standing balanced on your left foot, lift your right leg up straight out in front of you. Aim to get the foot up to hip height, without bending it at the knee. This will be challenging if you have tight hamstrings.

Then return your lifted (right) leg back to the floor, shift your weight across to this leg, balance yourself, and then repeat the leg lift with your other (left) leg. Once you have done it with each leg, this is one repetition. Continue for the duration of the exercise and perform the same number of lifts on each leg.

Aim to keep your spine straight and watch out for your lower back rounding as you lift your leg. If this happens, it is a sign of tight hamstrings, so work on our Hamstring stretches.

How to make Front Kicks easier

Make this exercise more accessible by bending the leg as your lift it. At the same time, invest some energy into stretching your hamstrings. As they get longer, you will improve at this exercise and be more able to perform it with a straight leg.