10 Best Kick Out Sit Alternatives for Limited-Equipment Training
If you need a replacement for the Kick Out Sit, use hamstring-dominant options such as Romanian deadlifts, Nordic curls, single-leg RDLs, glute-ham raises, or reverse lunges. Emphasize a hip-hinge cue—push hips back and keep a neutral spine—to shift load to the hamstrings and increase eccentric control and activation.
Original Exercise: Kick Out Sit
How to Perform Kick Out Sit
- Sit on the edge of a bench or chair with your feet flat on the ground and your knees bent at a 90-degree angle.
- Lean back slightly and place your hands on the edge of the bench or chair for support.
- Engaging your hamstrings, lift your feet off the ground and extend your legs straight out in front of you.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly bend your knees and bring your feet back towards your body.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Best Kick Out Sit Alternatives
1. Band Straight Leg Deadlift
77.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and place the band around your feet.
- Hold the band with both hands, palms facing your body, and keep your arms straight.
- Engage your core and maintain a slight bend in your knees.
- Slowly hinge forward at your hips, keeping your back straight and chest lifted.
- Lower the band towards the ground while keeping your legs straight.
2. Dumbbell Single Leg Deadlift
73.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in your right hand.
- Shift your weight onto your left leg and lift your right foot slightly off the ground.
- Keeping your back straight, hinge forward at the hips and lower the dumbbell towards the ground.
- At the same time, extend your right leg straight behind you, maintaining a slight bend in your left knee.
- Lower the dumbbell until your torso and right leg are parallel to the ground.
3. Barbell Straight Leg Deadlift
72.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes pointing forward.
- Hold the barbell with an overhand grip, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Bend at your hips and lower the barbell towards the ground, keeping your back straight and your knees slightly bent.
- Lower the barbell until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings.
- Engage your hamstrings and glutes to lift the barbell back up to the starting position.
4. Exercise Ball One Legged Diagonal Kick Hamstring Curl
70.9% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Start by lying on your back with your legs extended and your heels resting on top of the stability ball.
- Place your arms by your sides for stability.
- Engage your glutes and core muscles to lift your hips off the ground, creating a straight line from your shoulders to your heels.
- Bend your right knee and bring it towards your chest, keeping your left leg extended and your foot flexed.
- Kick your right leg diagonally across your body, extending it fully and engaging your hamstrings.
5. Barbell Single Leg Deadlift
69.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a barbell in front of your thighs with an overhand grip.
- Shift your weight onto your left foot and lift your right foot slightly off the ground.
- Hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back straight and your right leg extended behind you for balance.
- Lower the barbell towards the ground, keeping it close to your body and your left leg slightly bent.
- Pause for a moment at the bottom, then engage your glutes and hamstrings to lift your torso back up to the starting position.
6. Band Good Morning
69.6% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Using a 41 inch band, stand on one end, spreading your feet a small amount. Bend at the hips to loop the end of the band behind your neck. This will be your starting position.
- Keeping your legs straight, extend through the hips to come to a near vertical position.
- Ensure that you do not round your back as you go down back to the starting position.
7. Band Good Morning (Pull Through)
66.9% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Loop the band around a post. Standing a little ways away, loop the opposite end around the neck. Your hands can help hold the band in position.
- Begin by bending at the hips, getting your butt back as far as possible. Keep your back flat and bend forward to about 90 degrees. Your knees should be only slightly bent.
- Return to the starting position be driving through with the hips to come back to a standing position.
8. Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
66.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip.
- Keeping your back straight and your core engaged, hinge at the hips and lower the dumbbells towards the ground, allowing your knees to bend slightly.
- Lower the dumbbells until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings, then push through your heels and engage your glutes to return to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
9. Cable Deadlifts
66.1% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Move the cables to the bottom of the towers and select an appropriate weight. Stand directly in between the uprights.
- To begin, squat down be flexing your hips and knees until you can reach the handles.
- After grasping them, begin your ascent. Driving through your heels extend your hips and knees keeping your hands hanging at your side. Keep your head and chest up throughout the movement.
- After reaching a full standing position, Return to the starting position and repeat.
10. Cable Assisted Inverse Leg Curl
65.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Adjust the cable machine so that the ankle attachment is at the lowest setting.
- Lie face down on the bench with your legs straight and the ankle attachment secured to your ankles.
- Hold onto the handles of the bench for stability.
- Keeping your upper body stationary, exhale and curl your legs up towards your glutes by flexing your knees.
- Pause for a moment at the top of the movement, squeezing your hamstrings.
Why You Might Need a Kick Out Sit Alternative
You may substitute the Kick Out Sit for pain management, lack of skill, or limited equipment. Knee or lower-back pain can make the Kick Out Sit uncomfortable; choosing hip-hinge variations reduces knee shear and shifts load to the posterior chain. When you lack a bench or partner, select bodyweight Nordic curls or single-leg RDLs to preserve eccentric hamstring stress. If you want greater hypertrophy, pick exercises that lengthen the hamstrings under tension (eccentric RDLs) or add progressive overload using tempo and range-of-motion cues like slow 3–4 second eccentrics.
How to Choose the Right Substitute
Match the substitute to the movement pattern and loading you need. If you want hip-dominant strength, pick Romanian deadlifts or single-leg RDLs and cue ‘hips back, chest tall’ to maximize hamstring posterior chain activation. For high eccentric demand with no equipment, use Nordic curls and control the descent to emphasize hamstring lengthening. Consider joint tolerance: choose knee-friendly hip hinges over knee-dominant curls if you have patellar issues. Progress by increasing load, reps, or eccentric tempo to ensure progressive overload and consistent hamstring recruitment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles does Kick Out Sit work?
The Kick Out Sit primarily targets the hamstrings and engages the glutes as synergists, with secondary activation of the lower back for stabilization. The movement combines hip extension and knee control, so both the semitendinosus/semimembranosus and biceps femoris see significant eccentric and concentric work.
What is the best bodyweight alternative to Kick Out Sit?
The Nordic curl is the top bodyweight alternative because it places high eccentric demand on the hamstrings. Anchor your ankles, keep a rigid torso, and lower slowly; this maximizes hamstring activation and replicates the lengthening tension you get from Kick Out Sit variations.
Can I build muscle without doing Kick Out Sit?
Yes. You can build hamstring size with other loaded hip-hinge and eccentric-focused exercises like Romanian deadlifts, heavy single-leg RDLs, and Nordic curls. Apply progressive overload through added load, slower eccentrics, or higher volume to stimulate hypertrophy without that specific movement.
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