Step Ups

Muscles worked by the Step Ups

Primary

GlutesGluteus MaximusQuadsQuadriceps Femoris

Secondary

CalvesGastrocnemiusGlute MediusGluteus MediusHamstringsHamstring Muscles

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

Equipment

No equipment — this is a bodyweight exercise.

How to do the Step Ups

1. Stand facing a sturdy box or bench.
2. Place one foot fully on the box surface.
3. Drive through that heel to lift your body onto the box.
4. Bring your trailing foot up to stand fully on the box.
5. Step back down leading with the same foot.
6. Alternate legs or complete all reps on one side before switching.

Form tips

• Push through the lead heel rather than springing off the back leg.
• Keep your torso upright and avoid leaning forward excessively.
• Control the descent instead of dropping off the box.

At a glance

Step Ups in German & Spanish

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

Related exercises

• Banded Figure-4 Stretch
• Banded Glute Bridge
• Banded Good Morning
• Banded Hip Thrust
• Banded Kneeling Hip Thrust
• Banded Romanian Deadlift
• Banded Squat
• Banded Sumo Walk

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": "step-ups",
  "name_en": "Step Ups",
  "name_de": "Step-Ups",
  "name_es": "Step Ups",
  "description_en": "A lower-body exercise stepping onto a bench, building strength in the quads and glutes.",
  "description_de": "Eine Körpergewichtsübung für Gesäß und Oberschenkel, bei der kontrolliert auf eine Bank oder Box aufgestiegen wird.",
  "description_es": "Una subida a un cajón o banco con una pierna que entrena cuádriceps y glúteos de forma funcional.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "push",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "intermediate",
  "body_part": "upper_legs",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "gluteus_maximus",
    "quadriceps"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "gastrocnemius",
    "gluteus_medius",
    "hamstrings"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "hypertrophy",
    "strength"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "shoulder_safe",
    "lower_back_safe",
    "no_axial_load",
    "knee_safe",
    "requires_bench"
  ],
  "is_unilateral": false,
  "is_bodyweight": true,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Stand facing a sturdy box or bench.",
    "Place one foot fully on the box surface.",
    "Drive through that heel to lift your body onto the box.",
    "Bring your trailing foot up to stand fully on the box.",
    "Step back down leading with the same foot.",
    "Alternate legs or complete all reps on one side before switching."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Stehe vor einer stabilen Box oder Bank.",
    "Stelle einen Fuß vollständig auf die Box.",
    "Drücke durch diese Ferse, um den Körper auf die Box zu heben.",
    "Bringe den zweiten Fuß nach, um vollständig auf der Box zu stehen.",
    "Steige mit demselben Fuß zuerst wieder herunter.",
    "Wechsle die Beine ab oder führe alle Wiederholungen auf einer Seite aus, bevor du wechselst."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Párate frente a una caja o banco resistente.",
    "Coloca un pie completamente sobre la superficie de la caja.",
    "Empuja a través de ese talón para subir el cuerpo a la caja.",
    "Sube el pie de atrás para quedar completamente sobre la caja.",
    "Baja con el mismo pie que subió primero.",
    "Alterna piernas o completa todas las repeticiones de un lado antes de cambiar."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Push through the lead heel rather than springing off the back leg.",
    "Keep your torso upright and avoid leaning forward excessively.",
    "Control the descent instead of dropping off the box."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Drücke dich aus dem vorderen Bein hoch, ohne mit dem hinteren abzuspringen.",
    "Halte das Knie stabil über dem Fuß ausgerichtet.",
    "Steige kontrolliert ab, statt dich herunterfallen zu lassen."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Apoya todo el pie sobre la superficie del cajón.",
    "Impulsa con el talón de la pierna que sube, no con la de atrás.",
    "Controla el descenso en lugar de dejarte caer."
  ],
  "met": 5.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "start": "images/flat/step-ups-start.webp",
      "peak": "images/flat/step-ups-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 === "step-ups");

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.