How many reps of the double-leg kick should someone new to it do?

Aim for 2 sets of 6 full cycles, three heel pulses plus one extension, alternating which cheek rests on the mat each time. Once the transition between the pulse and the lift feels smooth for both sets, work up to 8 cycles before trying to hold the top extension a beat longer.

How do you make the double-leg kick easier or harder?

To make it easier, do two pulses instead of three and lift the chest only a small amount on the extension. To make it harder, add a fourth pulse before extending, or pause for two counts at the top of the extension with the arms fully reaching back.

What is the double-leg kick good for, and when is it a poor choice?

It trains the hamstrings and the whole back extensor chain in one sequence, pairing posterior-chain strength with a shoulder-opening stretch, which makes it a solid addition once the basic swan feels controlled. It is not a good choice for anyone with a shoulder impingement, since reaching the clasped hands back and up loads the shoulder in a position that can pinch an already irritated joint.

Intermediate

Double-Leg Kick

A two-part extension classic that trains the hamstrings and the whole spinal chain in sequence. The heel pulses load the hamstrings while the body stays low, then reaching the clasped arms back and lifting the chest drives a strong thoracic extension and shoulder opener. It builds posterior strength and mobility together and demands rhythm and control.

Equipment: Body Weight
Body part: Back, Hamstring
Type: Pilates, Strength
Browse by muscle: Erector Spinae, Biceps Femoris
Browse by movement: Hinge, Knee Flexion

How to do it

1
Lie face down with one cheek on the mat and clasp the hands behind the low back.
2
Bend both knees and pulse the heels toward the glutes three times, keeping the hips down.
3
Extend the legs long as you straighten the arms toward the feet and lift the chest into extension.
4
Reach the clasped hands back and up to open the shoulders as the back extends.
5
Lower the chest back down and rest the other cheek on the mat, then repeat the sequence.
6
Keep the movement rhythmic, alternating the resting cheek each cycle.

Tips

Keep the pubic bone anchored during the heel pulses so the low back does not cramp.
Lead the lift with the sternum, not by cranking the neck.
Squeeze the clasped hands toward the feet to deepen the chest opening on the extension.

Variations

Common mistakes

The elbows splay wide during the arm reach, turning what should be a shoulder-opening squeeze into a shrug at the neck.
As the pulses continue, the hips lift slightly off the mat, taking the load off the hamstrings and putting it into the low back instead.
The head turns to the new cheek before the chest has finished lowering, rushing the transition between the two halves of the movement.
Rushing the three pulses into one blurred motion instead of three distinct beats loses the rhythm the exercise is built on.
The resting cheek stays on the same side rep after rep instead of alternating, leaving one side of the neck loaded the whole set.

Frequently asked

How many reps of the double-leg kick should someone new to it do?: Aim for 2 sets of 6 full cycles, three heel pulses plus one extension, alternating which cheek rests on the mat each time. Once the transition between the pulse and the lift feels smooth for both sets, work up to 8 cycles before trying to hold the top extension a beat longer.
How do you make the double-leg kick easier or harder?: To make it easier, do two pulses instead of three and lift the chest only a small amount on the extension. To make it harder, add a fourth pulse before extending, or pause for two counts at the top of the extension with the arms fully reaching back.
What is the double-leg kick good for, and when is it a poor choice?: It trains the hamstrings and the whole back extensor chain in one sequence, pairing posterior-chain strength with a shoulder-opening stretch, which makes it a solid addition once the basic swan feels controlled. It is not a good choice for anyone with a shoulder impingement, since reaching the clasped hands back and up loads the shoulder in a position that can pinch an already irritated joint.

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