Single Leg Butt Kick
The Single Leg Butt Kick is a standing bodyweight exercise that isolates the hamstring by curling the heel toward the glutes. This movement improves dynamic knee flexion and stretches the quadriceps while enhancing single-leg balance.
Iridium identifies this as a mobility activator and schedules it according to your warmup-specific preferences, usually as a precursor to heavy leg work. Since the resistance is too low to drive growth, the algorithm excludes these sets from your hamstring Volume tracking to maintain valid Minimum Effective Volume targets. If your session duration is restricted by tight time constraints, Iridium may condense or skip this activation block to prioritize your main working sets.
Form Cues
- Stand tall with your core braced
- Keep your knees aligned with each other
- Squeeze your hamstring to lift your heel
- Control the foot as you lower it down
- Maintain a neutral spine throughout
- Don't arch your lower back
- Don't let your working knee drift forward
- Don't use momentum to swing the leg up
- Don't allow your hips to pike or twist
Common Mistakes
- Arching the lumbar spine
- Driving the knee forward (hip flexion)
- Relying on momentum/swinging
- Incomplete range of motion
Muscles Worked
This exercise primarily targets the hamstrings through active knee flexion, teaching the muscle to contract without external load. It also serves as a dynamic stretch for the quadriceps and hip flexors of the working leg, while engaging the glutes and stabilizers of the standing leg to maintain balance.
Primary
Secondary
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