Trainers Want More People Doing This Lower-Body Move In Their Workouts
In the realm of functional fitness, lateral lunges are a versatile and underrated exercise, often overshadowed by forward and reverse lunge variations. Yet, these side lunges have a ton of great benefits that can enhance strength, flexibility, and overall athleticism.
When it comes to the staple lower-body exercises you do in the gym (think squats, deadlifts, lunges, etc.) most of them occur in the sagittal plane. But lateral lunges force you to work in the frontal plane, improving your all around fitness, coordination, and balance. (We'll get into why that's so clutch!)
Meet the experts: Kendra Madigan is a personal trainer at Physical Equilibrium in New York City. Noam Tamir, CSCS, is the founder and CEO of TS Fitness NYC.
Ahead, how to do lateral lunges properly—and why they're a must-do exercise.
What are lateral lunges and how do you do them?
As mentioned, a lateral lunge occurs in the frontal plane. Picture a board dividing your body into two parts: your front and back side (posterior); with a lateral lunge, you move along that line, side to side (as opposed to how you would move in, say, the sagittal plane, which is when you are moving in an up and down or forward and backward motion).
It's incredibly important for overall fitness and health to move in all planes of motion to stay agile, strong, and stable as you age—and too often we do not naturally move in the frontal plane day to day. “We’re not used to that lateral movement,” says Kendra Madigan, CPT, a personal trainer at Physical Equilibrium. “That’s what makes the coordination challenging for people because we’re just not used to moving laterally. And yet, that is the key to hip health and knee health.”
Because we’re not used to moving in this way, lack of hip mobility can make this move challenging for some, so a warm-up is key. “It is important to do a proper warm-up that includes adductor, ankle, and hip mobility to prep the body for a proper range of motion,” says Noam Tamir, CSCS, the founder and CEO of TS Fitness NYC.
How To Do A Lateral Lunge With Proper Form
Start with your feet about shoulder-width apart and core braced for stability.
Take a wide step out with one leg.
Hinging hips back, bend knee to 90 degrees so that thigh is parallel to the floor. Keep stationary foot in contact with the floor and completely straight.
By driving through the heel, push the lunging leg off the ground and return to the starting position. That’s 1 rep.
Pro tip: “Keep your torso upright as you come down,” says Tamir, who says too much hinging and not enough squatting is one of the biggest mistakes he sees.
If you are struggling with mobility, you don’t have to lower the moving leg all the way to that 90-degree squat position—just go as far as you comfortably can. Madigan recommends stretching the hips with a figure-four stretch, as well as the groin to increase your mobility. (Here are some awesome groin stretches to try.)
What are the benefits of lateral lunges and what muscles do they work?
The lateral lunge works all the muscles of the lower body, including the glutes, hamstrings, quads, abductors, and calf muscles. “This also requires core engagement to keep the torso upright,” Tamir says, “If you are holding a weight, this would also require upper-body strength.”
The lateral lunge is particularly useful for working the medial glute, the muscle that is primarily responsible for the move along with the hamstrings and quads, according to Madigan: “That medial glute is a much smaller muscle, and it’s very hard to find and work, but the lateral lunge does do that.”
Aside from working those specific muscles, lateral lunges are a great form of functional fitness. “Most of us are very tight in that position so that’s where the injury comes, not so much from doing that movement, but from being tight in that movement,” explains Madigan. “So when we do move laterally our muscles aren’t ready to do it and that’s why injury occurs.” Strengthening in the frontal plane in a controlled environment like the gym is a great way to prevent injury in life. For example, if you slip on ice, you need lateral strength to catch yourself without twisting an ankle.
Lateral Lunge Variations
Got the basic move down? Take the lateral lunge up a notch. “Once you have mastered proper form on the basic lateral lunge, you can progress the movement by adding a lateral step-up, holding dumbbells while you lunge, adding bands and/or an ankle cuff connected to a cable,” says Madigan.
There are a lot of different ways to include lateral lunges in your routine. “Lateral lunges can be included in a warm-up to improve mobility of the lower body,” says Tamir. If you are looking to incorporate them into your main set or add weight, he recommends doing them after heavier lifts such as squats and deadlifts, with slightly lighter weight than those other lifts.
Lateral Lunge To Knee Drive
Why we love it: Core strength is key for this move. What's more, “you need to be able to decelerate from having the leg lifted up and returning it back down,” Tamir says. “Being able to control the concentric force is very important to strengthen the body and prevent injury.”
How to:
Start standing with feet hip-width apart.
Take a wide step to the side, push hips back, and lower body until leg is bent 90 degrees.
Transfer weight back to the standing leg as you drive the working knee up to hip height. That's 1 rep.
Kettlebell Lateral Lunge
Why we love it: This is a favorite of Tamir's as “it requires both lower body strength and upper body strength.” It also works the core, as you have to engage the abs in order to keep your torso upright with the weight at chest level.
How to:
Holding a kettlebell racked at chest and stand up straight with feet hip-width apart.
Take a large step to the side, sit hips back, and lower down until the thigh is nearly parallel with the floor. Your other leg should be straight.
Drive through the heel to return to start. That's 1 rep.
Lateral Lunge With Glute Pull
Why we love it: “This exercise requires more stability since you are balancing on one leg,” explains Tamir. “The glute pull also helps with hip mobility.”
How to:
Stand with your feet hip-width apart, hands at sides.
Take a big step to the side, then push your hips back, bending your leg and lowering your body until the knee is bent to 90 degrees.
Push back to an upright position, lifting your knee and pulling it into the chest with arms. That's 1 rep.
Lateral Step-Up
Why we love it: Step-ups are great for mobility and stability.
How to:
Start standing next to a bench or stair, hands on waist and feet under hips. (Optional: Hold a dumbbell in each hand at sides.)
Step foot onto the bench or stair. Extended it to raise the other leg off the floor to hover.
Reverse movement to return to start. That's 1 rep.
Lateral Lunge Form Mistakes And Potential Risks
Bending of the stabilizing leg is one of the most common mistakes our trainers see. “Only step out [as far as] you can manage,” says Madigan. “Sometimes people overdo it, and that’s when the [form] cheating starts. You start bending that supporting leg, the one that’s stabilizing you, instead of just using the working leg that’s in the lunge.”
Tamir recommends starting with a lateral squat. “Mastering the lateral squat first is helpful to improve mobility before going onto the lateral lunge.” He also adds that you shouldn't add any weight until you can do the movement with proper form.
Lateral Lunge Workouts To Try
20-minute bodyweight leg and glute workout: This workout will give you a good burn with no weights. If you’re new to lateral lunges, doing them without weight is a good way to perfect your form, but still get all their awesome benefits.
30-minute dumbbell lower-body workout: If you want to use lateral lunges as a mobility warm-up like Tamir suggests, this 25-minute routine will show you how.
15-minute full-body workout: This workout hits all your major muscle groups. With several lateral lunge variations, you’ll get plenty of frontal plane work in just 15 minutes.
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