Lateral Step Up with Knee Drive
The Lateral Step Up with Knee Drive is a functional unilateral exercise that targets the quadriceps, glutes, and hip flexors while improving balance. By stepping sideways onto a platform and driving the opposite knee up, you enhance frontal plane stability and coordination.
Since this is a unilateral movement, the AI tracks performance differences between your left and right legs to detect strength imbalances early. If your recovery data or HRV indicates lower readiness, the app can adjust volume or step height to prevent overuse of the hip stabilizers. By analyzing your consistency and RPE, the AI ensures you are building functional strength without compromising knee safety or form.
Form Cues
- Plant your entire foot firmly on the center of the box
- Drive through the heel of the working leg to stand up
- Squeeze your glute at the top of the movement
- Drive the non-working knee high toward your chest
- Control the descent slowly back to the floor
- Don't push off the floor with your bottom foot
- Don't let your working knee collapse inward
- Don't hunch your shoulders or round your back
- Don't drop quickly back to the starting position
- Don't allow your heel to hang off the edge of the box
Common Mistakes
- Pushing off the non-working leg
- Knee valgus (caving inward)
- Using excessive momentum
- Poor foot placement on the box
- Uncontrolled descent
Muscles Worked
This exercise primarily strengthens the quadriceps and glutes, with a specific emphasis on the gluteus medius due to the lateral starting position. The knee drive component actively recruits the hip flexors of the non-working leg while the core engages to maintain upright posture and balance throughout the movement.
Primary
Secondary
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