But what muscles do lateral lunges work exactly? How do you perform them correctly? And what are the benefits of adding them to your workout routine?

In this article, we will answer all these questions and more. 

We will also show you some variations and progressions of lateral lunges to challenge yourself and target different muscles.

By the end of this article, you will have a better understanding of lateral lunge muscles worked and how to do them effectively.

What Muscles Do Lateral Lunges Work?

Lateral lunges work several muscles in your lower body, including:

• The quadriceps. These are the four muscles in the front of your thigh that extend your knee and help you stand up from a squat or lunge position. They are the primary movers in lateral lunges, especially in the leg that steps out to the side.

• The gluteus maximus. This is the largest and strongest muscle in your buttocks that extends your hip and helps you push off from the ground. It is also a primary mover in lateral lunges, especially in the leg that steps out to the side.

• The gluteus medius. This is a smaller muscle on the side of your hip that abducts your leg (moves it away from the midline of your body) and stabilizes your pelvis. It is a secondary mover in lateral lunges, especially in the leg that stays in place.

• The adductors. These are a group of muscles on the inner side of your thigh that adduct your leg (move it toward the midline of your body) and help you balance. They are also secondary movers in lateral lunges, especially in the leg that steps out to the side.

• The hamstrings. These are three muscles on the back of your thigh that flex your knee and extend your hip. They are involved in lateral lunges as stabilizers and antagonists (opposing muscles) to the quadriceps.

• The calves. These are two muscles on the back of your lower leg that plantarflex your ankle (point your toes) and help you propel yourself forward or backward. They are also involved in lateral lunges as stabilizers.

In addition to these lower body muscles, lateral lunges also work some core muscles that help you maintain good posture and alignment during the movement. 

These include:

• The transverse abdominis. This is the deepest layer of abdominal muscles that wraps around your waist like a corset and supports your spine.

• The obliques. These are two pairs of muscles on the sides of your abdomen that rotate and flex your trunk.

• The multifidus. This is a thin muscle along your spine that stabilizes each vertebra and prevents excessive twisting or bending.

• The erector spinae. These are three long muscles on either side of your spine that extend and stabilize your back.

Lateral lunges work many muscles in one move and offer numerous benefits for your strength, stability, mobility, and functionality.

How To Do Lateral Lunges With The Correct Form & Mistakes To Avoid

To perform lateral lunges correctly, follow these steps:

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes pointing forward. Keep your chest up, shoulders back, core engaged, and hands on your hips or in front of you for balance.
2. Take a big step to the right with your right foot, keeping it parallel to your left foot. Bend your right knee and push your hips back as you lower yourself into a lunge position. Your right thigh should be parallel to the floor or as low as you can comfortably go. Your left leg should be straight but not locked.
3. Pause for a moment at the bottom of the lunge, then push through your right heel and return to the starting position.
4. Repeat on the other side by stepping to the left with your left foot and lunging with your left leg.
5. Alternate sides for the desired number of reps or time.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Doing Lateral Lunges

Here are some common mistakes to avoid when doing lateral lunges:

• Not keeping your feet parallel. If you turn out or in your feet during the lunge, you will change the angle of your knee and hip joints and put more stress on them. You will also reduce the activation of your gluteus medius and adductors, which are important for stability and mobility in the frontal plane.

• Not keeping your knee in line with your foot. If you let your knee collapse inward or outward during the lunge, you will increase the risk of injury to your knee ligaments and cartilage. You will also compromise the effectiveness of the exercise for your quadriceps and gluteus maximus. To prevent this, keep your knee directly over your second toe and avoid letting it go past your toes.

• Not pushing your hips back. If you lean forward too much or don’t hinge at your hips during the lunge, you will put more pressure on your lower back and reduce the engagement of your glutes and hamstrings. You will also limit the range of motion and depth of the lunge. To prevent this, keep your torso upright and push your hips back as if you were sitting on a chair behind you.

• Not engaging your core. If you let your core muscles relax or arch your back during the lunge, you will lose stability and alignment in your spine and pelvis. You will also make the exercise harder for your lower body muscles and increase the risk of injury. To prevent this, brace your core muscles as if someone were about to punch you in the stomach and keep a neutral spine throughout the movement.

Performance Benefits Of Lateral Lunges

Lateral lunges are not only a great exercise for building strength and muscle mass in your lower body, but they also have many other benefits for your performance, such as:

• Improving balance and stability. Lateral lunges challenge your balance and stability by requiring you to shift your weight from one leg to another in a different plane of motion than usual. This improves your proprioception (awareness of your body position) and coordination, which are essential for any athletic or functional movement.

• Increasing mobility and flexibility. Lateral lunges stretch and mobilize your hip joints, especially the adductors and abductors, which are often tight and neglected in most people. This improves your range of motion and reduces the risk of injury or pain in your hips, knees, and lower back.

• Enhancing functionality and transferability. Lateral lunges mimic many of the movements and muscle-activation patterns of daily activities, such as walking, running, jumping, changing directions, or climbing stairs. They also train you to move in the frontal plane, which is often overlooked in most workouts that focus on forward and backward movements. This enhances your functionality and transferability to real-life situations that require lateral movement.

• Preventing or correcting imbalances. Lateral lunges work each leg individually, which helps address any imbalances or weaknesses that may exist between them. This improves your symmetry and proportionality, as well as your performance and injury prevention.

Lateral Lunge Ideal Rep Range, Load, Volume/Sets

The ideal rep range, load, volume, and sets for lateral lunges depend on your goals, fitness level, and experience.

If you are a beginner or want to focus on improving your form, mobility, or stability, you can start with bodyweight lateral lunges for 10 to 15 reps per side for 2 to 3 sets.

If you are intermediate or advanced or want to focus on building strength or muscle mass, you can add some resistance to lateral lunges by holding dumbbells, kettlebells, a resistance band, or even a barbell.

You can aim for 8 to 12 reps per side for 3 to 4 sets with a moderate to heavy load.

You can also adjust the tempo (speed) of the movement to make it more challenging or easier. 

For example, you can perform lateral lunges faster to increase the power output and metabolic demand, or slower to increase the time under tension and muscle damage.

You can also vary the rest time between sets depending on how hard you want to work. 

For example, you can rest for 60 to 90 seconds between sets for strength or hypertrophy goals, or 30 to 45 seconds between sets for endurance or fat loss goals.

Side Lunge Progressions & Variations

Lateral lunges are a versatile exercise that can be modified in many ways to suit different needs and preferences. 

Here are some examples of progressions and variations of lateral lunges that you can try:

• Reverse lateral lunge. Instead of stepping out to the side with one leg, step back diagonally with one leg as if you were doing a curtsy lunge. This variation targets more of the gluteus medius and minimus (the smaller glute muscles) than the regular lateral lunge.