Legs · Bodyweight
Side Squat Touchdown
How to do the side squat touchdown, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- time
- Movement
- Squat
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Step wide to one side and sit into a lateral squat, reaching the opposite hand down to touch the floor near your working foot. Drive back up to standing and repeat to the other side in a flowing rhythm.
- 1Feel your glutes and quads loading as you sit into each side squat
- 2Push your hips back and keep your chest up as you reach down
- 3Drive hard through the planted foot to stand back up
Common mistakes
- Do not let the working knee cave inward as you squat down
- Avoid rounding your back to reach the floor; hinge and squat instead
- Do not let your heel lift; keep the foot flat as you push up
Muscles worked
The side squat touchdown mainly works the glutes and quads, with the hamstrings, adductors, lower back, lower abs, obliques, and calves assisting.
- GlutesPrimary
- QuadsPrimary
- HamstringsSupport
- AdductorsSupport
- Lower BackSupport
- Lower AbsSupport
- ObliquesSupport
- CalvesSupport
- Upper AbsMinor
- Hip FlexorsMinor
- Tibialis AnteriorMinor
Kovo programs the side squat touchdown 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.