Legs
Squat to Lateral Lunge
A squat, then a big step out to the side into a lateral lunge. Your legs work in two directions, and the side lunge brings in your inner thighs.
- Works
- Quads, glutes, adductors, hamstrings, core
- Equipment
- No equipment
- Load
- Bodyweight
How to do it
- 1Stand with your feet about hip width apart and your hands together at your chest.
- 2Squat down, hips back and chest up, then stand back up.
- 3Take a big step out to one side and sit your hips back over that foot, bending that knee and keeping the other leg straight.
- 4Push off the bent leg to come back to the middle, then squat again. Lunge to the other side next time.
Cues
- Sit back into the hip, like you're sitting on a chair off to the side.
- Both feet flat, toes pointing forward.
- Bent knee follows your toes.
Common mistakes
- Knee caving in. Keep the bent knee in line with your toes, in the squat and in the lunge.
- Rounding your back. Hinge at the hips with a flat back and keep your chest up.
- Heel lifting on the lunge. Keep the heel of your bent leg down and push through it to come back to the middle.
Easier
Take a shorter step to the side and don't sit as low, and squat only halfway down.
Harder
Pause for 1 second at the bottom of each squat and each lunge, or hold a dumbbell at your chest.
Try it: 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps, alternating sides, or 30 seconds on and 30 off.
What's the difference between a lateral lunge and a squat?
A squat loads both legs evenly. A lateral lunge shifts your weight onto one leg and stretches the inner thigh of the other, so you work side to side instead of straight up and down. This move gives you both.
