Legs · Bodyweight
Peterson Forward Side Step
How to do the peterson forward side step, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Lunge
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Stand on one leg with a slight bend in the knee and rise onto the ball of that foot. Step the free foot forward and out to the side, controlling the descent on the standing leg, then drive back up onto the ball of the foot to work the inner thigh and quad above the knee.
- 1Tension on the inner thigh and around the knee of the standing leg
- 2Your weight staying on the ball of the working foot
- 3Slow, controlled lowering on each step
Common mistakes
- Letting the standing heel drop to the floor
- Collapsing the knee inward
- Rushing the step instead of controlling it
Muscles worked
The peterson forward side step mainly works the quads, with the adductors, glutes, calves, and hip flexors assisting.
- QuadsPrimary
- AdductorsSupport
- GlutesSupport
- CalvesSupport
- Hip FlexorsSupport
- Lower BackMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
- Lower AbsMinor
- ObliquesMinor
- HamstringsMinor
- External RotatorsMinor
- Tibialis AnteriorMinor
Kovo programs the peterson forward side step 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.