How to Do a Lateral Lunge to Work Your Inner Thighs and Glutes

If you want a body-weight exercise that targets both your inner thighs and glutes, the lateral lunge checks all the boxes. This functional move also works on balance and flexibility — and can be made into a strength-focused exercise by dumbbells.

"Lateral lunges are a great exercise to include in your workouts, as most people don't incorporate enough side-to-side movements in their daily activities or their workouts," Grayson Wickham, DPT, physical therapist and founder of Movement Vault, says. "This leads to weakness and tightness in muscles, which can then lead to poor movement and potentially a future injury."

The body moves in three planes of motion: frontal (side to side), sagittal (forward and back) and transverse (rotational). Incorporating exercises for each of them, like side lunges for the frontal plane, in your regular workouts will help promote muscular balance.

Read on to learn more about how to do a lateral lunge, benefits, form tips, variations and how to add it to your workout routine.

• ‌What are lateral lunges?‌ A lateral lunge, also called a side lunge, is a bodyweight exercise that strengthens your lower body. Instead of a forward lunge, in which you step forward, or a reverse lunge, in which you step back, with the lateral lunge you step out to the side.
• ‌Who can do lateral lunges?‌ In general, lateral lunges can be modified for most people. If you have had a recent injury or surgery, talk to your doctor before performing this move or any other exercise. "The biggest problem with lateral lunges happens when you try to perform them deeper than your current hip and ankle mobility allows," Wickham says. "When you do this, you will most likely twist your knee and put it in a suboptimal position, which will lead to knee cartilage and meniscus wear and tear."
• ‌What muscles do side lunges work?‌ Lunges in general work your lower body, including your glutes, quads, calves and hamstrings. Lateral lunges are ideal if you want to target your glutes and inner thighs. Your abdominal or core muscles are also working to stabilize you.

Although lunges have many benefits, lateral lunges challenge your body in a different way and are a great addition to your exercise routine.

Unilateral exercises (when you mostly work one side of your body at a time) such as the side lunge are great at improving overall balance, stability and preventing muscle imbalances. However, lateral lunges are particularly good. A small April 2013 study in the ‌Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness‌ compared forward lunges to lateral lunges and found that lateral lunges best helped improve stability and balance in the ankles and knees.

Lateral lunges may put less stress on your knee joint, which can be helpful if you have runner's knee (pain in the patella, aka your kneecap), arthritis or other knee injuries. If you have pain with bending your knee during regular lunges, your knee bends less with lateral lunges so it may be more comfortable. And because lateral lunges work muscles including hamstrings, glutes and quads, they can help protect your knee from injuries, including ACL tears, according to NYU Langone.

"When you move and perform exercises in the frontal plane, also known as side-to-side movements, you target the muscles on the outside and inside of your joint," Wickham says. "In this case, you are targeting your outside hip muscles including your gluteus medius, and inside hip muscles including your hip adductor muscles."

Lateral lunges also stretch and improve flexibility in your inner thighs and groin muscles. As you step out, you will feel a nice stretch along the extended leg. The further you step out (while still keeping your shin aligned with your foot), the more stretch you will feel.

Lateral lunges are a great exercise to use as part of a dynamic stretching routine before sports or another exercise routine. Dynamic stretching helps you improve flexibility and range of motion by actively moving your joint through its full range of motion. This type of stretching is an ideal way to get warmed up before an activity. You can do daily lunges like this, so long as they're unweighted.

Lateral lunges are a functional move that can be carried over to other sports and activities, such as skiing, skating or even tennis. Doing this exercise strengthens those same muscles you will be using while actually doing your sport, helping you improve in strength and agility.

If standard lateral lunges are too difficult, they can be made easier until your strength improves. Or, if you're ready to advance, there are several ways to progress this exercise.

If you are having trouble balancing or maintaining proper form, use a chair for stability until you get the hang of it.

Using dumbbells is a great way to add resistance and strengthen your upper body. If you're not used to strength training, you'll probably want to start with a 3- or 5-pound dumbbell in each hand and add weight from there.

Adding a resistance band is a great way to increase the intensity and give your glutes an extra challenge.

Adding in pulses is another way to challenge your muscles and increase the intensity of an exercise. This is also helpful if you don't have additional equipment, like dumbbells or resistance bands. You can also add in the pulses while using equipment for even more resistance.

Lateral lunges are a versatile exercise that can be easily added to your exercise program. But it is important to look at both your goals and fitness needs.

Lateral lunges can be used as part of your overall strengthening program. Start by adjusting your sets, reps and weight according to your fitness goals, recommends the ACE. If you want to build endurance, you can do this exercise with just body weight or a light to moderate weight. Perform 12 to 15 reps of two to four sets.

If you want to build muscle, use a heavier weight and perform 6 to 12 reps of two to six sets. The last few reps should be difficult. If they aren't, use a heavier weight.

Lateral lunges can also be used as part of a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) circuit, which can also include other exercises such as burpees, bicycle crunches and squats.

Lastly, you can use lateral lunges as a dynamic stretch during a warmup before sports or exercises. Other examples of dynamic stretches include knee-to-chest, arm circles and high stepping.