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The HIT MethodAn independent guide to high-intensity training

Lateral Bound: How to Do It, Muscles Worked and Easier Options

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The lateral bound, also called lateral bounds or lateral bounding, is an advanced, high-impact exercise that builds lower-body power. By leaping sideways for distance and sticking a one-leg landing, you train your body to generate and absorb lateral force.

This movement heavily targets your gluteus medius, gluteus maximus, and quadriceps. Your calves and core act as supporting muscles to stabilize your hips and knees upon impact, requiring no equipment to perform.

Exercise data

Impact
High
Level
Advanced
Equipment
None
Main muscles
gluteus medius, gluteus maximus, quadriceps
Also working
calves, core
Movement
Leaping sideways for distance and sticking a one-leg landing
Low-impact swap
lateral lunge

How to do a lateral bound

Stand on your right leg with your left foot hovering just off the floor. Bend your right knee slightly and hinge forward at your hips.

  1. Push off your right foot to leap sideways to your left.
  2. Swing your arms across your body to generate momentum.
  3. Land softly on your left foot with your knee slightly bent.
  4. Absorb the impact by sinking your hips backward.
  5. Hold the landing for a brief second to establish balance.
  6. Push off your left foot to leap back to your right.

Form cues

  • Land quietly to absorb force.
  • Keep your chest up.
  • Drive off the outside edge of your foot.
  • Stick the landing before jumping again.

Common mistakes

  • Knee collapsing inward. Actively push your knee outward as you land. Engage your glutes to keep your knee aligned with your toes.
  • Landing with locked knees. Always land with a bent knee and hinge at the hips. This allows your muscles to absorb the shock rather than your joints.
  • Rushing the reps. Pause for a full second on each leg. Sticking the landing builds the balance required for this advanced move.
  • Dropping your chest. Keep your back flat and your eyes looking forward. Bending over too far compromises your core stability.

Easier and harder versions

Easier

  • lateral lunge
  • skater step
  • short-distance side hops

Using it in intervals

Because the lateral bound is a high-impact movement, place it early in your high-intensity interval sessions when your legs are fresh. Focus on the quality of your landing rather than the total number of reps. As you get tired during an interval, your knees may start to cave inward. If you cannot stick the landing with proper alignment, switch to the low-impact alternative to maintain your effort and reduce injury risk.

Formats that suit this move: Tabata Workout, 30/30 Intervals.

Impact note. This move involves jumping. If impact bothers your knees, ankles, back or pelvic floor, use the low-impact swap: lateral lunge.

Similar moves

When to stop and see a doctor

  • Sharp pain in your knees during takeoff or landing.
  • Popping or grinding sensations in your hips.
  • Ankle instability or sharp pain in your Achilles tendon.
  • Lower back pain when absorbing the landing.

This page is general information, not medical advice. If you have a heart condition, high blood pressure, joint problems, are pregnant or have been inactive for a long time, talk to your doctor before starting vigorous exercise.

How this page was made. Exercise data (impact, level, equipment, muscles) was compiled by our editors as a general anatomy and coaching guide. Text drafted with AI assistance and checked by the Training Desk; see how we write. Last checked October 2026.