If you’ve ever followed a fitness regimen or spent any time in the gym, chances are you’ve done lunges, or at least watched someone else do them, which is much easier. I do them occasionally, but only the front or back kind; I had never attempted a side lunge until this challenge. It turns out on the first day that there is a reason for this.
This challenging bodyweight exercise is exactly what it sounds like: a lunge to one side or the other (also called a side lunge). Like the basic lunge, it works several muscles at once—the gluteals, quads, hamstrings, and calves—but the lateral movement throws instability into the mix and activates the muscles differently, so it helps improve balance. Even if you regularly do forward or backward lunges, you will feel this for the first few days, especially in the inner thigh muscles (adductors). It requires no equipment, so you can do it at home, though you’ll need more space than you would for a standard lunge (this may be one reason you don’t see it done as often in the gym).
Looking for more workout inspiration? Here’s what happened when Tom’s guide told me to do 50 sumo squats a day for a week, plus do 30 superman squats a day for a week.
How do you do a side lunge?
Start by standing upright, with your feet no wider than hip-width apart. Engage your core to help keep your back straight throughout the movement. Place your hands loosely in front of your chest, or rest them on your hips, and take a large side step to the left.
Keeping the torso upright, sink the hips back and down into a lunge. Ideally, your left leg should be bent at a 90-degree angle, though you may find that this isn’t an option to begin with. You shouldn’t feel pain or discomfort, so just lower to a comfortable degree. Your left knee should be in line with your left foot and should not extend beyond your toes. Your standing leg (the right in this case) should remain straight, though not locked, and your foot flat on the ground, toes pointing forward.
Now push your left foot into the ground and smoothly return to the starting position. Repeat the movement on the other side, or do 10 repetitions on the left before switching to the right. Aim for three groups.
I did 30 lateral lunges every day for a week and this is what happened
There’s not much to think about with this move, but it took me a few tries to develop decent form. Most of us don’t spend a lot of time moving from side to side, so the movement felt unnatural at first. On the first day, I felt a pull in my buttocks. It’s easy to strain these muscles, so watch as you lower. I noticed a few things right away: I could go down on my left side much smoother and deeper than on the right side. I also noticed that I was bending my supposedly straight leg when I came back to start the position. This makes finishing the movement a little easier, but try to avoid it. I chose to do 10 on each side before switching, as I found it easier to develop a rhythm, which was it. For the rest of the day, I had no doubts that I had given my leg muscles and glutes a workout.
I was still feeling the effects the second day, but already noticed a better flow of my movement. And I didn’t feel adductor muscle fatigue, which I considered my muscles to stretch well. This was reassuring – and satisfying.
On the third day, I could still feel movement, mostly in the adductors and quadriceps. It was like I’d just done an intense workout session, which I tend to avoid (I’m a runner and many runners pretend stretching isn’t their real thing, nuts). This exercise was boot camp for my upper legs and glutes. They weren’t happy they attended, but they would have loved the results.
Because I was feeling the effects so intensely – though no pain – I took a day off and the next day was a revelation: I was able to get off both sides, and my form was about as good as it would get (although I had to keep my left knee on my left knee). When I was leaning to the right, as I kept bent on throwing a little bend as I got up). After 30 reps, my biceps shrugged and asked, “Is that all you got?” So I added 10 reps on each side, which silenced them.
I continued to improve for the rest of the week, adding reps and moving with ease. If you want to test the usefulness of this move, climb a flight of stairs when you’re done—you’ll stick. Or take a note while getting up from a chair. There won’t be a slight forward lean to let momentum work its magic, and you won’t be pushing with your hands: all the work will come naturally from your quads, hamstrings, and gluteals. When I went running at the end of the week, I noticed my limberness was more pronounced than usual, and because this is something I’ve tried to improve, I’ll take the time to do the lateral lunge regularly. And I might start to stretch. Or maybe not. It’s hard to say.
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