Butt Kicks
What Are Butt Kicks?
Butt Kicks are a compound exercise that primarily targets the cardiovascular system and also engages the hamstrings, calves and quadriceps. They are a beginner-level movement, and how hard they feel depends on the pace and the length of the set. You jog in place and flick each heel up behind you toward your glutes while the thigh stays pointing down at the floor, so they need no equipment and only a small patch of floor.
Butt Kicks are a staple of dynamic warm-ups. Running coaches use them as a drill for the heel recovery part of the stride, when the foot leaves the ground and folds up toward the hips, and to practice quick, light ground contacts. Team-sport athletes use them the same way before practice, often paired with High Knees. In a conditioning session they work as a short timed interval in a bodyweight circuit.
The hamstrings bend the knee to lift each heel and the calves push you off the floor on every step, while the quadriceps take the landing on the standing leg and get a brief dynamic stretch on the kicking side as the heel comes up. The version shown here is done in place with the elbows bent and the arms swinging as they would when running. A traveling version moves forward across the floor as a running drill, and a walking version, lifting one heel at a time with no hop, takes the bounce out.
They suit almost anyone who can jog comfortably: beginners warming up for a workout, runners getting ready for a run, and anyone who wants a quick, equipment-free way to get the legs moving. If the bounce bothers your knees or shins, start with the walking version or Marching in Place and build up to a light jog before adding speed. Butt Kicks warm up the hamstrings but do not build much hamstring strength, which comes from curls and hinges such as the Nordic Hamstring Curl.
Muscles Worked
- Biceps Femoris
- Primary
- Semitendinosus
- Primary
- Semimembranosus
- High
- Rectus Femoris
- Medium
- Soleus
- Medium
- Vastus Lateralis
- Medium
Instructions
- Stand tall with your feet about hip-width apart and your elbows bent to about 90 degrees at your sides.
- Brace your abs lightly and look straight ahead.
- Start jogging in place with short, light steps.
- As each foot leaves the floor, bend the knee and flick the heel up behind you toward your glutes.
- Keep the thigh of the kicking leg pointing down at the floor so the knee stays under the hip rather than driving forward.
- Swing your arms forward and back as you would when running, with your hands in loose fists.
- Land softly on the ball of each foot under your hips and go straight into the next kick with the other leg.
- Keep your torso upright and build to a quick, steady rhythm.
- Continue for the set time, then slow to a walk.
Common Mistakes
Leaning forward
Bending at the hips or hunching shortens the kick and turns the drill into a shuffle, so keep the torso tall and stacked over the hips.
Driving the knees forward
Letting the thigh swing up in front turns Butt Kicks into a high-knee jog, so keep the thigh pointing down and let the movement happen below the knee.
Kicking too low
Lifting the heel only a few inches skips most of the knee bend, so bring each heel up toward your glutes as far as your flexibility allows.
Landing heavily
Slapping the feet down or landing heel first sends more shock through the shins and knees than a soft landing on the balls of the feet.
Still or crossing arms
Holding the arms still or swinging them across the body throws off the rhythm, so swing them forward and back as you would when running.
Injuries
Butt Kicks are a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. They use only body weight and the landings are small, but a long set still means hundreds of contacts through the feet, calves, shins and knees. The areas that most often complain are the shins and Achilles tendons when the landings are heavy, and the front of the knee in people who find deep knee bending uncomfortable, since each kick folds the knee almost fully. Kicking hard and fast from a cold start can also tug at the hamstrings.
To keep the load low, start slowly and build speed over the first 20 to 30 seconds. Land softly on the balls of your feet under your hips, keep the steps short and quick, and stay tall so the lower back does not arch as you reach for a higher kick. A forgiving surface such as a gym floor, grass or a track is kinder to the shins than concrete.
To make them easier, walk through the movement, lifting one heel toward your glutes at a time with no hop, or switch to Marching in Place. To make them harder, speed up the turnover, lengthen the interval or take them forward across the floor as a traveling drill. Stop if you feel sharp pain in the knee, shin or Achilles, a pulling pain in the back of the thigh, or dizziness or chest discomfort as your heart rate climbs.
- Primary Focus
- Cardio
- Equipment
- Body weight
- Modality
- Cardio
- Difficulty
- Beginner
Alternative Exercises
Other Names for Butt Kicks
Butt Kicks are also known as:
- Heel Kicks
- Heel Flicks
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: What is the difference between Butt Kicks and High Knees?
Both are done jogging in place, but High Knees lift the thigh up in front of the body, while Butt Kicks keep the thigh down and fold the heel up behind you. High Knees tend to feel harder because lifting the whole thigh takes more effort, and many warm-ups use the two one after the other.
- Q: Do Butt Kicks stretch the quads?
Yes, in a dynamic way: as each heel comes up behind you, the front of the thigh lengthens for a moment before the foot drops again. That makes them a useful part of a warm-up, but they are not a substitute for a held quad stretch if you are working on flexibility.
- Q: Do Butt Kicks improve running form?
They rehearse a quick heel lift and quick, light ground contacts, which is why running coaches use them as a warm-up drill. Some sprint coaches point out that in fast running the heel folds up under the hips with the knee moving forward, not straight up behind a vertical thigh. Treat Butt Kicks as a warm-up and rhythm drill rather than an exact copy of your stride.
- Q: How long should I do Butt Kicks for?
In a warm-up, one or two rounds of 20 to 30 seconds is plenty, often alongside High Knees and skips. In a cardio circuit, intervals of 30 to 45 seconds with short rests work well, and you can lengthen them as your fitness improves.
- Q: Can I do Butt Kicks without jumping?
Yes. Walk through the movement, lifting one heel toward your glutes at a time while the other foot stays on the floor, and swing your arms as you go. This low-impact version suits beginners, quiet floors and anyone whose knees or shins do not tolerate the bounce.