Lateral Side Step Exercises

If your hip abductor and gluteal muscles are weak, you don’t have as much control over the motion of your hips when you run or perform other actions. Located along the outside of your thigh, the iliotibial band can overstretch and become irritated. Lateral step exercises can boost the strength and endurance of your hip abductors and help stabilize your pelvis.

  1. Balance Training

    • Sidestepping transforms walking into a balance and agility exercise. For older people, a side-step exercise can build lateral stability and reduce the risk of falling. Stand erect before a form of balance support, such as a counter, a handrail or even a row of chair backs. Take six to eight steps to your right side, change direction and repeat the exercise to your left side. Perform one or two more times, resting between intervals. You can also recruit a partner to do the exercise. Have your partner face you and hold hands while you side step. To increase the difficulty, lengthen the distance of each step or add a knee bend to each step. To test your balance, perform the exercise with your hands on your hips.

    Adding Resistance

    • By adding a resistance band, you increase the load of a lateral step exercise. Even the most fit athletes find side steps with a band to be challenging. You can select the appropriate stiffness and thickness of the band. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and loop the ends of the band around each ankle. Rotate your hips inward so you can avoid using your hip flexors. Put your hands on your hips, monitoring your lower body for bouncing and hip hiking during the exercise. With your right foot, step to the right at a distance slightly wider than shoulder-width. Slowly follow with your left foot. Continue this pattern of stepping until you reach the end of the room. Reverse your direction, returning to starting position with your left foot as the lead.

    Lateral Step-Ups

    • Lateral step-ups use the side-stepping motion to build your hip abductors and adductors, thighs and glutes. In this exercise, place a 6-inch-high box on a non-slip floor. Stand to the side of the box. Use the leg closest to the box to step on to the box, lifting your body up. Draw your other foot on to the box. Step down on the other side of the box, using the same lead foot. Follow with your other foot in an up-up-down-down cadence. Perform 10 reps. To increase the difficulty, increase either the tempo of the exercise or the height of the box.

    Sidestepping on a Treadmill

    • Instead of walking forward on a treadmill, you can step sideways to work on your hip abductors, outer thighs, abdominal muscles and calves. Place your right hand on the rail in front of you. Put your left hand on the rail and turn your body to the left, so you now face the left rail. Step laterally with your right foot. You can increase the tempo of the exercise by accelerating from a side step to a shuffle in which you click from foot to foot. According to Alexandra Alfred, a member of the U.S. women’s bobsled team, a sideways shuffle on a treadmill will test your strength and balance. Begin at a slow pace, gradually increasing the speed and the resistance as you grow stronger.