Side lunges with your own body weight

To initiate the lateral lunges, start with a hip-width stance. Keep your upper body consistently upright, maintaining a slight arch in the lower back. In Plyo Side Lunges, the body may lean slightly forward, but without compromising the straightness of the back. You can place your hands at hip height on the sides or let them hang beside your body. Keep your gaze forward, and engage your abdominal muscles.

Movement execution

Now, take a wide lateral lunge, ensuring that the feet of the bent and extended leg form an imaginary line. The toes point slightly outward, and the knee moves in the same direction. Bend the knee of the lunging leg, making sure that the stride length is chosen in a way that the knee joint does not extend beyond the toes. Additionally, the upper and lower legs should form an approximate right angle. The other leg remains almost fully extended and in place. Next, push yourself up through the heel of the bent leg to shift your body to the other side. The previously extended leg becomes the bent leg, while the previously bent leg extends. The upper body and arms remain completely still.

Moreover

Plyo Side Lunges provide an additional option for lateral lunges that you perform with your body weight. Start from a hip-width position and take a lateral lunge. Ensure that your knee does not extend beyond the toes, while the upper and lower legs form approximately a right angle. Tilt your upper body slightly forward as you move the arm opposite the bent leg towards the floor in front of you. Subsequently, press your body upward through the heel of the bent leg, shifting the weight smoothly to the other side. Now, the other leg is bent, and the previously bent leg is extended.

Additionally

Initiate the Side Lunges with Stop by making a lateral lunge from the hip-width starting position. Now, both feet are on an imaginary line, with the knees pointing in the direction of your feet, which you can position slightly outward. Choose a stride length that prevents the knee from protruding beyond the foot, maintaining a right angle between the upper and lower legs. While the upper body may tend to lean slightly forward, it should remain consistently straight or in a natural arch. The leg performing the lateral lunge is now bent, and the other leg is almost fully extended. Press yourself up through the heel of the bent leg to return to the upright starting position. Subsequently, you can perform Side Lunges to the other side or train one side with the desired number of repetitions.

Stressed muscles and common mistakes

For further insights into the engaged muscles and common mistakes during the execution of Side Lunges with your own body weight, visit the page Side Lunges / lateral lunges.

Alternative variants to side lunges with your own body weight

To add variety to your training, you can also try similar exercises or other variations of Side Lunges with your own body weight.