How deep should I go?

Lower until the thigh of the bent leg is about parallel to the floor, or stop sooner if your heel lifts or your knee caves. Depth you can control beats depth you cannot.

What is the difference between this and a Cossack squat?

The TRX Cossack Squat goes deeper, lets the toes of the straight leg turn up and stays low between reps. This lunge keeps the straight foot flat and returns to standing each rep.

How much should I pull on the straps?

Barely at all. Hold them lightly for balance and let your legs drive the return to standing, adding a little pull only on the hardest reps.

Can I do it without a suspension trainer?

Yes. The Bodyweight Lateral Lunge is the same pattern without support, and the Dumbbell Lateral Lunge adds load.

TRX Lateral Lunge

What Is the TRX Lateral Lunge?

TRX Lateral Lunge is a compound exercise that primarily targets the quads and glutes and also engages the inner thighs. It is a beginner-level movement that uses a suspension trainer to steady you while you step to the side and sit into one leg.

Most lower-body training moves forward and back. A lateral lunge works in the side-to-side plane, so the working hip and knee have to control a sideways push, while the inner thigh of the straight leg lengthens under load. The straps hold some of your balance, which lets you focus on sitting back into the hip and keeping the knee over the foot.

The straps are a support, not a lift. Holding them lightly keeps the work in the legs, and how hard you pull changes how much help you get. Compared with the Bodyweight Lateral Lunge, the straps make it easier to find balance and depth. Compared with the TRX Cossack Squat, the straight leg stays flat and the range is shorter, so it suits people who are not ready for that depth.

It suits beginners learning side-to-side leg strength, people who find free lateral lunges wobbly, and anyone adding frontal-plane work to a program. If it is too hard, practice the TRX Squat first. Once it feels easy, move to the Dumbbell Lateral Lunge or step out farther.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Gluteus Maximus: Primary
Rectus Femoris: Primary
Vastus Lateralis: Primary
Vastus Medialis: Primary
Adductor Magnus: High
Adductor Longus: Medium
Gluteus Medius: Medium
Biceps Femoris: Low
Rectus Abdominis: Low
Deltoid: Minimal

Instructions

Set the suspension trainer so the handles hang at about chest height. Stand with the anchor above you and slightly to one side, feet together, holding the handles at your chest with elbows down.
Take up the slack so the straps are lightly taut, and brace your core.
Step the leg farther from the anchor out to the side, with the toes pointing forward.
Sit your hips back and bend that knee, keeping the knee in line with the middle of your foot and the foot flat.
Let your arms extend up and out toward the anchor as you lower, so the straps balance you.
Keep the other leg straight, with its foot flat on the floor, and keep your chest up.
Lower until the thigh of the bent leg is about parallel to the floor, or as far as you can control.
Push through the foot of the bent leg to stand, bring your arms back to your chest and bring the feet together.
Complete all reps on one side, then turn around and repeat on the other.

Common Mistakes

Stepping out too wide
A step longer than you can control lets the knee drift past the toes or the heel lift, so shorten the step until the shin stays close to vertical.
Knee caving inward
The bent knee collapses toward the midline, so push it out to track over the middle of the foot.
Pulling on the straps
Hauling yourself up with your arms takes the work out of the legs, so hold lightly and push through the foot.
Bending the straight leg
A bent trailing leg turns the move into a squat and removes the inner thigh stretch, so keep that leg straight with the foot flat.
Collapsing the chest
Folding forward over the bent leg rounds the back, so send the hips back and keep the chest up.

Injuries

TRX Lateral Lunge is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The straps reduce the balance demand, and the movement uses body weight only.

The usual strain points are the knee and the groin. Stepping out too far lets the bent knee drift past the toes or cave inward, and sinking deeper than your hip mobility allows can pull on the inner thigh of the straight leg. Keep the stance width at a distance you can control, point the toes forward and keep the knee in line with the middle of the foot.

Hold the handles lightly and let your legs do the work. Pulling hard on the straps to stand up hides weak legs and can strain the shoulders. If the move is too hard, shorten the step and the depth, or build up with the TRX Squat. Progress by stepping out farther and sitting lower, then try the TRX Cossack Squat.

Stop if you feel sharp pain in the knee, hip or groin. Anyone recovering from a knee or hip injury should check with a clinician before adding side lunges.

Overview

Primary Focus: Quads and glutes
Equipment: Suspension trainer and body weight
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Beginner

Alternative Exercises

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How deep should I go?: Lower until the thigh of the bent leg is about parallel to the floor, or stop sooner if your heel lifts or your knee caves. Depth you can control beats depth you cannot.
Q: What is the difference between this and a Cossack squat?: The TRX Cossack Squat goes deeper, lets the toes of the straight leg turn up and stays low between reps. This lunge keeps the straight foot flat and returns to standing each rep.
Q: How much should I pull on the straps?: Barely at all. Hold them lightly for balance and let your legs drive the return to standing, adding a little pull only on the hardest reps.
Q: Can I do it without a suspension trainer?: Yes. The Bodyweight Lateral Lunge is the same pattern without support, and the Dumbbell Lateral Lunge adds load.