Legs · Bodyweight
Side Hop Ski
How to do the side hop ski, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- Lunge
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Stand on both feet with knees slightly bent. Hop laterally to one side, landing softly on both feet, then immediately rebound back the other way like a skier carving turns. Keep the hops rhythmic and controlled.
- 1Push off the outside leg and feel your glutes and outer hips driving you
- 2sideways
- 3Land soft with bent knees to absorb each hop
- 4Stay low and athletic with your weight over your feet
Common mistakes
- Don't land stiff-legged or let your knees buckle inward
- Avoid standing too upright between hops
- Don't rush so much that you lose control of the landing
Muscles worked
The side hop ski mainly works the glutes, quads, and calves, with the hamstrings, adductors, lower abs, and obliques assisting.
- GlutesPrimary
- QuadsPrimary
- CalvesPrimary
- HamstringsSupport
- AdductorsSupport
- Lower AbsSupport
- ObliquesSupport
- Lower BackMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
- Hip FlexorsMinor
- Tibialis AnteriorMinor
Kovo programs the side hop ski 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 glutes exercises
- How to do the agility ladder drill
- How to do the airdyne bike
- How to do the arc trainer
- How to do the assault bike
- How to do the medicine ball atlas stone lift
- How to do the b stance hip thrust
Last reviewed June 2026.