Legs · Bodyweight
Lateral Step-up
How to do the lateral step-up, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Lunge
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Stand beside a box or bench with it to one side of you. Place the near foot flat on top of the platform and drive through that heel to lift your body up until the standing leg is straight. Step back down under control and repeat, then switch sides.
- 1Plant your top foot firmly and drive through the heel so you feel your
- 2glutes and quads lift you sideways
- 3Keep your torso upright and core braced to feel balanced through the step
- 4Squeeze the glute at the top and control the descent so the muscles work on the way down too
Common mistakes
- Don't push off the floor with your trailing leg or bounce up with
- momentum
- Avoid letting the working knee collapse inward
- Don't lean your torso toward the box; stay tall
Muscles worked
The lateral step-up mainly works the quads and glutes, with the hamstrings, calves, and adductors assisting.
- QuadsPrimary
- GlutesPrimary
- HamstringsSupport
- CalvesSupport
- AdductorsSupport
- Lower BackMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
- Lower AbsMinor
- ObliquesMinor
- Hip FlexorsMinor
Kovo programs the lateral step-up for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More quads exercises
- How to do the resistance band squat
- How to do the resistance band squat to press
- How to do the resistance band thruster
- How to do the resistance band squat walk
- How to do the barbell squat
- How to do the barbell bulgarian split squat
Last reviewed June 2026.