Push-Up with Inside Leg Kick
- Primary muscleGlutes
- EquipmentBodyweight
- DifficultyIntermediate
- TypeCompound · Push
- Secondary muscles
- Quads, Hamstrings, Calves, Abs
- Body part
- Upper Legs
- Position
- Prone
- Laterality
- Bilateral (both sides together)
- Category
- Strength
Track this exercise in SetGrip — no account needed
Kicking a leg out as you press up leaves you balancing on three points while the glutes fire the raised leg, mixing lateral hip work into a pressing pattern. Compared with the outside leg kick version, the range demanded here is shorter, which is why this one sits at intermediate.
How to do the Push-Up with Inside Leg Kick
- Start in a push-up position with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and your feet together.
- Lower your body towards the ground by bending your elbows, keeping your back straight and your core engaged.
- As you push back up, lift one leg off the ground and kick it out to the side, keeping it straight.
- Lower your leg back down and repeat the push-up, then switch to the other leg.
- Continue alternating leg kicks with each push-up repetition.
Tip: Screw your hands into the floor as if turning the fingers outward to set the shoulders before each set.
Muscles worked
Primary
Glutes · Legs
Squeezing the glutes locks the hips in line with the torso and stops the lower back from arching.
Secondary
- Quads
- Hamstrings
- Calves
- Abs — The abs hold the body rigid so the hips do not sag, which is why a push-up is also a moving plank.
Common mistakes
- Hips sagging or piked — the body should stay a straight line from head to heels; squeeze the glutes and brace the abs before each rep.
- Elbows flared to 90 degrees — flaring the arms out wide loads the shoulder joint; keep the elbows tucked to about 45 degrees from the torso.
- Cutting the bottom short — chest should come to within a fist of the floor; if that means fewer reps, do fewer reps.
- Head dropping first — the chin reaching for the floor makes it look like a rep when it is not; keep the head neutral and lead with the chest.
Where it fits in a workout
Push-ups work as a warm-up before bench press, as a finisher after chest work or as the main push exercise when training with no equipment. Superset them with inverted rows or a band pull-apart for balance.
How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.
Variations and alternatives
Similar exercises
Alternatives
When to talk to someone
- Chest discomfort, feeling faint or lightheaded, or trouble breathing during or after exercise can be signs of a heart attack. In the US, call 911 right away; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
- Heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or symptoms like these when you are active: talk to your doctor before you start or step up training.
- Pregnant: ask your obstetric care provider which exercise suits you.
Track the Push-Up with Inside Leg Kick in SetGrip
All 1,100+ exercises with animations are in the app. No account, no sign-up — your history stays on your iPhone and in your private iCloud. Works with Apple Watch.
More exercises
Sources
- ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
- ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
- ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
- CDC: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (2024)
Sources checked on October 17, 2026. Full citations are in the exercise library.
Animation and exercise data: ExerciseDB, licensed to SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.