The side squat, also known as the lateral squat, is a unilateral exercise focusing movement in the frontal plane. Unlike a traditional squat, which moves forward and backward in the sagittal plane, this exercise shifts body weight from side to side. This lateral movement challenges the lower body muscles differently than a standard bilateral squat. The side squat builds strength and stability required for everyday activities and athletic movements involving changes in direction.
Step-by-Step Guide to Proper Form
Begin by standing with your feet in a wide stance, approximately three to four feet apart, ensuring your toes are pointing straight ahead. Maintain a tall posture with your chest lifted and your core engaged to stabilize your torso throughout the movement. Your hands can be clasped at your chest or extended forward for counter-balance as you descend.
To start the movement, shift your weight over to one side, bending the knee of that leg while simultaneously pushing your hips backward, as if sitting into a chair. The goal is to squat down as deeply as your mobility allows, ideally until your working thigh is parallel to the floor. It is important to keep the non-working leg straight, feeling a stretch along the inner thigh of that extended leg.
As you descend, actively monitor the alignment of your working knee to ensure it tracks directly over your foot, avoiding inward collapse. Your heel on the working leg should remain firmly planted on the ground, preventing the weight from shifting excessively to the toes. This hip-hinge action ensures that the glutes and hamstrings are engaged during the eccentric phase.
To return to the starting position, drive powerfully through the heel of the working foot, utilizing the strength of the gluteal muscles and quadriceps to straighten the leg. Exhale as you ascend, returning to the wide-stance standing position before immediately transitioning to the opposite side to complete the repetition. The entire movement should be controlled and smooth, emphasizing muscle engagement over speed.
Targeted Muscle Groups
The side squat provides a targeted activation profile that differs significantly from conventional squat variations. The primary muscles engaged are the quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings on the working leg. However, the lateral nature of the exercise places greater emphasis on muscles responsible for hip stabilization and lateral movement.
The inner thigh muscles, specifically the hip adductors, are heavily involved in the side squat, working eccentrically to control the descent and concentrically to assist the return to the start. This makes the exercise highly effective for strengthening an often-underdeveloped muscle group. The gluteus medius and gluteus minimus, located on the side of the hip, are strongly activated to stabilize the pelvis and control the lateral shift of weight.
These smaller gluteal muscles play a crucial role in hip abduction and are often neglected in strictly forward-moving exercises. By engaging these stabilizers, the side squat helps to improve overall hip health and resilience. The core musculature also works continuously to maintain an upright posture and prevent the torso from excessively leaning or rounding forward.
Modifying the Movement and Staying Safe
Scaling the side squat can be achieved by adjusting the depth and external load. Beginners should focus on mastering the bodyweight movement, perhaps by reducing the range of motion and only descending to a shallow depth. Using a chair or bench positioned behind the working hip can serve as a target to ensure consistent, safe depth while providing feedback on the hip hinge.
To increase the difficulty, you can add resistance by holding a dumbbell or kettlebell against your chest in a goblet position. This external load forces the stabilizing muscles to work harder and increases the muscular demand on the quads and glutes during the ascent. Another progression is to increase the width of your stance, which deepens the stretch on the straight leg’s adductors and increases the required mobility.
Safety hinges on maintaining proper spinal and knee alignment throughout the exercise. A common error is rounding the back during the descent, which places undue stress on the lumbar spine. To correct this, focus on keeping the chest lifted and ensuring the hips are pushed backward rather than allowing the torso to collapse forward.
Never allow the knee of the working leg to track significantly past the toes, as this can increase shear forces on the joint. If you notice your knee caving inward (valgus collapse), consciously press your knee outward to align it over your second or third toe. Keeping the foot of the straight leg flat on the ground and avoiding rotation helps maintain hip stability and prevent strain.