Flutter Kicks (Dryland)

Flutter Kicks (Dryland) are a bodyweight core exercise that mimics the kicking motion used in swimming. You lie on your back and make small, quick up-and-down kicks with one leg at a time. The move mainly trains your hip flexors and the core muscles that keep your spine and pelvis steady.

Lie flat on your back on the floor. Slide your hands palms-down underneath your hips, or rest them at your sides for balance. Straighten your legs and lift them a few inches off the ground so your heels are not touching. Press your lower back firmly into the floor and relax your head and shoulders.

Lift one leg a small amount while the other stays low, then switch legs quickly and continuously. Keep the motion small and driven from the hip, not the knee. Point your toes as if you were in the water. Throughout the set, do not let your lower back arch or peel away from the floor.

Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth at a steady pace, and brace your belly lightly as if you are about to be poked in the stomach. To make the exercise easier, raise your legs higher or allow a slight bend in the knees. To make it harder, lower your legs closer to the floor or reach your arms overhead.

Fault: The lower back lifts off the floor and arches. Fix: Reset with your low back glued to the ground before each set, and raise your legs a little higher if you cannot maintain contact.

Fault: Large, looping kicks that come mostly from the knees. Fix: Keep the kicks small and fast, initiating each movement from the hip joint instead of bending the knee.

Fault: Toes pulled back toward the shins. Fix: Point your toes forward like a swimmer's foot to match the dryland cue and keep the legs long and streamlined.