Exercise guide · Advanced · Compound

Outside Leg Kick Push-Up: How to Do It & Muscles Worked

The outside leg kick push-up is a dynamic bodyweight exercise that combines a traditional push-up with a lateral leg kick, targeting the glutes and engaging the quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves. This movement challenges upper body strength, core stability, coordination, and lower body mobility.

Primary muscles
Glutes
Secondary muscles
Calves , Quads , Hamstrings
Equipment
Body Weight
Level · type
Advanced · Compound
Demonstration of the outside leg kick push-up
Front view: muscles worked by the outside leg kick push-up. Primary: glutes. Secondary: calves, quads and hamstrings.
Back view: muscles worked by the outside leg kick push-up. Primary: glutes. Secondary: calves, quads and hamstrings.
Primary Secondary

How to do the outside leg kick push-up

  1. Step 1: Start in a push-up position with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and your feet together.
  2. Step 2: Lower your body towards the ground by bending your elbows, keeping your back straight and core engaged.
  3. Step 3: As you push back up, kick one leg out to the side, extending it fully and engaging your glutes.
  4. Step 4: Return your leg to the starting position and repeat the push-up, alternating legs with each repetition.
  5. Step 5: Continue alternating leg kicks and push-ups for the desired number of repetitions.

Sets, reps and programming

Suggested sets, reps and rest for the outside leg kick push-up by training goal
Goal Sets Reps Rest Effort
Strength 3–5 3–6 3–5 min 1–3 reps in reserve
Muscle growth 3–4 6–12 2–3 min 1–2 reps in reserve
Muscular endurance 2–3 12–20 1–2 min 1–3 reps in reserve

Ranges follow the ACSM position stand on progression in resistance training. Muscle grows across a wide range of loads when sets end close to failure (Schoenfeld et al., 2017), longer rests between heavy sets support strength and size (Schoenfeld et al., 2016), and stopping a rep or two short of failure works about as well as training to failure (Grgic et al., 2022). Estimate your working weights with the strength calculators.

Outside Leg Kick Push-Up alternatives

More exercises that train the glutes as their main target:

More glutes exercises

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Sources

  1. American College of Sports Medicine. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(3):687-708.
  2. Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. high-load resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(12):3508-3523.
  3. Schoenfeld BJ, Pope ZK, Benik FM, et al. Longer interset rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men. J Strength Cond Res. 2016;30(7):1805-1812.
  4. Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Orazem J, Sabol F. Effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure or non-failure on muscular strength and hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sport Health Sci. 2022;11(2):202-211.

Step-by-step instructions and demonstration media are from the ExerciseDB exercise dataset.

This guide is general fitness information, not medical advice. Stop if an exercise causes pain and speak to a doctor or physiotherapist about injuries or health conditions before starting a new programme.