Lateral Squat
oec:lateral-squat
A lower-body exercise performed in a wide stationary stance where you shift weight to squat down on one leg while keeping the opposite leg straight.
Generated by gemini-3.8-flash from the sources below. No person has checked this record. Don't rely on it for safety.
Also called: Side Split Squat, Stationary Side Lunge, Stationary Lateral Lunge, Side Squat, Side split squats left
How to do it
Setup
- Stand tall with your feet placed substantially wider than shoulder-width apart, pointing your toes straight ahead or slightly angled out.
- Brace your core and hold your hands together in front of your chest for balance.
Movement
- Shift your weight toward one side, hinging at the hip and bending that working knee while keeping the opposite leg straight.
- Descend until your working thigh is approximately parallel to the floor, ensuring both feet remain flat on the ground.
- Drive through the midfoot and heel of the working leg to extend the knee and hip back to the starting wide stance.
- Complete all prescribed repetitions on one side before switching, or alternate sides as programmed.
Breathing
Inhale as you descend into the squat on the working leg; exhale forcefully as you press back up to the top.
Cues
- Sit back into your hip
- Keep both feet flat
- Knee tracks over toes
- Chest stays proud
Common faults
- Allowing the heel of the working foot to lift off the floor during the descent.
- Push the hips back more and limit your depth to what your ankle mobility permits while maintaining full foot contact.
- Letting the working knee collapse inward (valgus collapse).
- Actively track your knee in line with your toes throughout the descent and ascent.
- Lifting the inner edge of the trailing foot.
- Firmly plant the entire sole of the straight leg to stretch the adductor and maintain a stable base.
Safety
- Do not force depth if you feel sharp discomfort or strain in the adductor muscles of the extended leg.
Muscles
Joints
- Hip: Flexion, Extension, Abduction, Adduction
- Knee: Flexion, Extension
- Ankle: Dorsiflexion, Plantarflexion
Details
- Movement
- Squat, Lunge
- Modality
- Calisthenics, Mobility, Strength
- Mechanics
- compound
- Force
- push
- Laterality
- unilateral
- Kinetic chain
- closed
- Level
- beginner
- Equipment
- None
- Record
- Repetitions
- Load
- bodyweight, not applicable
Related
- variation of Bodyweight Squat
- regression of Cossack Squat
- substitute for Lateral Split Squat
Sources
- wger: Side split squats left (CC-BY-SA-4.0)
This record: CC-BY-SA-4.0.