Hip Flexor Kick Out Guide

Stand tall next to a wall, using it lightly for support. Bring one knee up as high as you can, then straighten the leg fully and hold for 5 seconds. Lower with control and repeat.

Keep your posture completely still throughout — nothing should move except the working leg. Avoid rounding the low back to compensate for limited range. If the straight leg sits lower than 90 degrees, that's fine — height is secondary to a locked knee and a burning sensation in the hip flexor.

Regression

If you cannot keep the low back flat while straightening the leg, omit the kick-out and perform bent-knee hip flexor raises instead — knee up as high as possible, held for 5 seconds. Build from there.

Protocol

• 5 kick-outs per leg, each with a 5-second hold
• Total: ~25 seconds of isometric time per leg

Key Cues

• Lock the knee out — no bend in the working leg during the hold.
• Still torso — no leaning, hiking, or rotating to compensate.
• Feel the burn in the hip flexor, not the quad or lower back.
• Height doesn't matter — a straight leg at 60° beats a bent leg at 90°.

Purpose

This exercise continues to build strength in the hip flexors (psoas) — muscles that are typically both tight and weak. Strengthening them through this isometric range alleviates tension in the low back, establishes new ranges of motion, and opens the hips.