Kicking Specific Abdominal Workout

Most kickers and punters do not understand the importance of powerful abdominal muscles. Significant distance and hang-time can be added by properly developing the abdominal area. Having developed abdominal muscles can also drastically reduce strain on the lower back. The Kicking-Specific Abdominal Strengthening Program© serves these purposes: it strengthens the essential abdominal muscles to increase kicking power and minimizes the likelihood of back injuries.

The Kicking.com Abdominal Strengthening Manual
$7.99



*a gym ball is needed for all exercises, but we no longer will be carrying them on our store. You can purchase one at Body Trends

The kicking motion puts a lot of torque on the lower back, which can develop into muscle imbalances from kicking with only one leg. A chiropractor even told me to kick with my left foot the entire off-season to try and balance the muscles in my lower back. Unnecessary injuries occur because proper training methods are not used. Unfortunately many kickers and punters do not have anyone to guide them and show them the optimum training methods. I don’t know any NFL kickers or punters who have not had back problems at some point in their careers.

In this workout you will work on increasing your ability to lock your abs and lower back. You will do different exercises that will require you to keep your abs locked. Improving your ability to “lock in” your abs will protect your lower back. You will also find that you will begin to use your abdominals when you kick which will increase your power.

Throughout the program I will frequently refer to the “neutral spine position.” It is important that you understand what I mean by this reference. Lay on the ground on your back. Notice the space between your lower back and the ground. Tighten your abs and push your lower back gently toward the ground until the gap is gone. Notice the position your spine and abs are in. This is called the neutral spine position. Practice this exercise a few times until you can get to the neutral spine position by simply tightening your abs.

I have broken this workout up into four parts so you can do a few exercises four days a week. On each day I have some abs work and some back work. However, since we are always working on maintaining a neutral spine, almost all exercises work both the abs and back because those muscles need to be tightened to achieve neutral spine.

Use this routine as a supplement to your normal strengthening program. If you do not have a program, check out my Click to Kick™ CD-ROM for a complete kickers off-season strengthening program. You should try to do this four days a week.