Legs
Lateral Squats
A wide stance squat where you shift from one hip to the other, bending one knee while the other leg stays straight. Your feet stay put, so it's all about control, and it builds your glutes, quads and inner thighs.
- Works
- Glutes, quads, inner thighs, hamstrings
- Equipment
- One dumbbell held at your chest
- Load
- Medium
How to do it
- 1Stand with your feet wide and your toes slightly out, holding one dumbbell upright at your chest with both hands.
- 2Shift your weight to one side, sitting your hips back and bending that knee while your other leg stays straight.
- 3Keep both heels on the floor and go as low as you can with your chest up.
- 4Push through the bent leg to shift across to the other side. Keep alternating.
Cues
- Your feet stay planted. Only your hips move.
- Both heels down the whole time.
- Constant tension: stay low as you shift across instead of standing up in the middle.
Common mistakes
- Heel lifting on the bent leg. Only go as low as you can with your heel down. Depth comes with practice.
- Folding forward. Keep your chest up and your back flat as you sink into your hip.
- Bent knee caving in. Push the knee out so it stays in line with your toes.
Easier
Go without weight and only sink as low as feels steady.
Harder
Stay low for the whole set and take 3 seconds to shift from one side to the other.
Try it: 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps per side, or 30 seconds on and 30 off.
Is a lateral squat the same as a cossack squat?
They're close. In a cossack squat you go very deep and the straight leg rolls up onto its heel with the toes pointing up. In a lateral squat both feet stay flat and you only go as low as that allows.
