Pilates Kneeling Side Kick

Muscles worked by the Pilates Kneeling Side Kick

Primary

Glute MediusGluteus MediusObliquesOblique Abdominals

Secondary

GlutesGluteus MaximusHip FlexorsHip Flexor Muscles

Also called: glute med, gluteus medius, side glute, hip abductor glute, oblique, obliques.

Equipment

No equipment — this is a bodyweight exercise.

How to do the Pilates Kneeling Side Kick

1. Kneel on one knee and place the same-side hand on the floor, the other hand behind the head.
2. Extend the top leg out to the side at hip height with the foot flexed.
3. Keep the trunk perfectly still and swing the leg forward as far as the pelvis stays square.
4. Swing the leg back behind the line of the body without arching the lower back.
5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions and change sides.

Form tips

• The trunk is the exercise: if it rocks with the leg, shorten the swing.
• Keep the supporting shoulder pushed away from the ear.
• Move at a controlled tempo instead of throwing the leg.

At a glance

Pilates Kneeling Side Kick in German & Spanish

Descriptions, instructions and tips ship in all three languages in the JSON.

Related exercises

• Banded Clamshell
• Banded Fire Hydrant
• Banded Lateral Walk
• Banded Seated Hip Abduction
• Banded Standing Hip Abduction
• Banded Sumo Walk
• Barbell Hip Thrust
• Clamshell Hold

Exercise data (JSON)

The record below is exactly what exercises.json ships for this exercise — names, descriptions, instructions and tips in English, German and Spanish.

{
  "id": "pilates-kneeling-side-kick",
  "name_en": "Pilates Kneeling Side Kick",
  "name_de": "Pilates Kniender Side Kick",
  "name_es": "Patada Lateral de Rodillas de Pilates",
  "description_en": "A classical mat exercise: kneeling on one knee with the hand on the floor for support, the top leg swings forward and back at hip height while the trunk holds still.",
  "description_de": "Eine klassische Mattenübung: im Kniestand mit einer Hand am Boden schwingt das obere Bein auf Hüfthöhe nach vorn und hinten, während der Rumpf vollkommen still bleibt.",
  "description_es": "Un ejercicio clásico de suelo: de rodillas con la mano apoyada en el suelo, la pierna de arriba oscila adelante y atrás a la altura de la cadera mientras el tronco permanece inmóvil.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "dynamic",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "intermediate",
  "body_part": "upper_legs",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "gluteus_medius",
    "obliques"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "gluteus_maximus",
    "hip_flexors"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "endurance",
    "strength"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "calisthenics"
  ],
  "is_unilateral": true,
  "is_bodyweight": true,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Kneel on one knee and place the same-side hand on the floor, the other hand behind the head.",
    "Extend the top leg out to the side at hip height with the foot flexed.",
    "Keep the trunk perfectly still and swing the leg forward as far as the pelvis stays square.",
    "Swing the leg back behind the line of the body without arching the lower back.",
    "Repeat for the desired number of repetitions and change sides."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Knie dich hin und setz die gleichseitige Hand auf den Boden, die andere Hand an den Hinterkopf.",
    "Streck das obere Bein auf Hüfthöhe zur Seite, der Fuß ist angezogen.",
    "Halte den Rumpf vollkommen still und schwing das Bein so weit nach vorn, wie das Becken gerade bleibt.",
    "Schwing das Bein hinter die Körperlinie, ohne den unteren Rücken zu überstrecken.",
    "Wiederhole für die gewünschte Anzahl und wechsle die Seite."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Arrodíllate y apoya en el suelo la mano del mismo lado, con la otra mano detrás de la cabeza.",
    "Extiende la pierna de arriba hacia el lado a la altura de la cadera, con el pie en flexión.",
    "Mantén el tronco completamente quieto y lleva la pierna hacia delante mientras la pelvis siga cuadrada.",
    "Lleva la pierna por detrás de la línea del cuerpo sin arquear la zona lumbar.",
    "Repite las veces indicadas y cambia de lado."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "The trunk is the exercise: if it rocks with the leg, shorten the swing.",
    "Keep the supporting shoulder pushed away from the ear.",
    "Move at a controlled tempo instead of throwing the leg."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Der Rumpf ist die Übung: wippt er mit dem Bein mit, verkürze den Schwung.",
    "Druck die stützende Schulter vom Ohr weg.",
    "Arbeite in kontrolliertem Tempo, statt das Bein zu werfen."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "El tronco es el ejercicio: si se balancea con la pierna, acorta el recorrido.",
    "Mantén el hombro de apoyo alejado de la oreja.",
    "Trabaja a un ritmo controlado en lugar de lanzar la pierna."
  ],
  "met": 5.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "start": "images/flat/pilates-kneeling-side-kick-start.webp",
      "peak": "images/flat/pilates-kneeling-side-kick-peak.webp"
    }
  }
}

Fetch just this exercise

const { exercises } = await fetch(
  "https://exercise-dataset.com/exercises.json"
).then(r => r.json());
const ex = exercises.find(e => e.id === "pilates-kneeling-side-kick");

Free for personal and commercial in-app use with attribution (“Exercise data by RepDB”) — see the license and ready-made attribution snippets. Redistributing the data as a dataset or API is not permitted.