Side Lunge

Muscles worked by the Side Lunge

Primary

GlutesGluteus MaximusQuadsQuadriceps Femoris

Secondary

Glute MediusGluteus MediusHamstringsHamstring MusclesHip FlexorsHip Flexor Muscles

Also called: glute, glutes, gluteus maximus, buttocks, butt, quad.

Equipment

No equipment — this is a bodyweight exercise.

How to do the Side Lunge

1. Stand with feet hip-width apart and hands at your chest.
2. Step one leg wide to the side, keeping the other leg straight.
3. Bend the stepping knee and push your hips back into a lateral squat.
4. Keep your chest up and the working heel planted.
5. Drive through the bent leg to return to standing.
6. Complete reps on one side, then switch.

Form tips

• Push your hips back as you bend the stepping knee.
• Keep your trailing leg straight and both heels planted.
• Keep your chest up rather than rounding forward.

At a glance

Side Lunge in German & Spanish

Descriptions, instructions and tips ship in all three languages in the JSON.

Related exercises

• Barbell Lunge
• Barbell Reverse Lunge
• Bodyweight Reverse Lunge
• Dumbbell Lunge
• Kettlebell Goblet Lunge
• Kettlebell Lunge Press
• Kettlebell Offset Reverse Lunge and Press
• Kettlebell Reverse Lunge

Exercise data (JSON)

The record below is exactly what exercises.json ships for this exercise — names, descriptions, instructions and tips in English, German and Spanish.

{
  "id": "side-lunge",
  "name_en": "Side Lunge",
  "name_de": "Side Lunge",
  "name_es": "Zancada Lateral",
  "description_en": "A lateral lunge stepping wide to one side, training the quads, glutes, and inner thighs through a side-to-side pattern.",
  "description_de": "Ein seitlicher Ausfallschritt, bei dem du weit zur Seite trittst und Quadrizeps, Gesäßmuskeln und Innenschenkel in einer seitlichen Bewegung trainierst.",
  "description_es": "Una zancada lateral que da un paso amplio hacia un lado, trabajando los cuádriceps, glúteos y la cara interna de los muslos en un patrón lateral.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "push",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "intermediate",
  "body_part": "upper_legs",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "gluteus_maximus",
    "quadriceps"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "gluteus_medius",
    "hamstrings",
    "hip_flexors"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "hypertrophy",
    "strength"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "shoulder_safe",
    "lower_back_safe",
    "no_axial_load",
    "knee_safe"
  ],
  "variation_group": "lunge",
  "is_unilateral": true,
  "is_bodyweight": true,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Stand with feet hip-width apart and hands at your chest.",
    "Step one leg wide to the side, keeping the other leg straight.",
    "Bend the stepping knee and push your hips back into a lateral squat.",
    "Keep your chest up and the working heel planted.",
    "Drive through the bent leg to return to standing.",
    "Complete reps on one side, then switch."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Stehe hüftbreit und halte die Hände vor der Brust.",
    "Trete mit einem Bein weit zur Seite, das andere Bein bleibt gestreckt.",
    "Beuge das Knie des Ausfallschritts und schiebe die Hüfte zurück in eine seitliche Kniebeuge.",
    "Halte die Brust aufrecht und die Ferse des arbeitenden Beins am Boden.",
    "Drücke dich durch das gebeugte Bein zurück in den Stand.",
    "Führe die Wiederholungen auf einer Seite durch, dann wechsle."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "De pie con los pies al ancho de las caderas y las manos en el pecho.",
    "Da un paso amplio hacia un lado con una pierna, manteniendo la otra recta.",
    "Flexiona la rodilla de la pierna que dio el paso y empuja las caderas hacia atrás en una sentadilla lateral.",
    "Mantén el pecho erguido y el talón de trabajo apoyado.",
    "Empuja con la pierna flexionada para volver a la posición de pie.",
    "Completa las repeticiones de un lado y luego cambia."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Push your hips back as you bend the stepping knee.",
    "Keep your trailing leg straight and both heels planted.",
    "Keep your chest up rather than rounding forward."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Schiebe die Hüfte nach hinten, während du das angetretene Knie beugst.",
    "Halte das andere Bein gestreckt und beide Fersen am Boden.",
    "Halte die Brust aufrecht, statt nach vorne zu runden."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Empuja las caderas hacia atrás mientras flexionas la rodilla del paso.",
    "Mantén la pierna contraria estirada y ambos talones apoyados.",
    "Mantén el pecho erguido en lugar de redondear hacia delante."
  ],
  "met": 5.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "start": "images/flat/side-lunge-start.webp",
      "peak": "images/flat/side-lunge-peak.webp"
    }
  }
}

Fetch just this exercise

const { exercises } = await fetch(
  "https://exercise-dataset.com/exercises.json"
).then(r => r.json());
const ex = exercises.find(e => e.id === "side-lunge");

Free for personal and commercial in-app use with attribution (“Exercise data by RepDB”) — see the license and ready-made attribution snippets. Redistributing the data as a dataset or API is not permitted.