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Lateral Bound

Difficulty: ⭐⭐ Intermediatesquat

Home Setup

Use a hallway or clear floor space at least 10 feet wide, placing tape or household items as distance markers to track progress

Painter's tapeBooks or shoes as markersYoga mat for cushioning

💡 Pro tip: Start on a softer surface like carpet or a rug to reduce impact while learning proper landing mechanics

Gym Setup

Open floor space, turf area, or rubberized flooring; optional cones or agility markers for distance targets

Safety: Ensure adequate lateral clearance of at least 6 feet on each side and avoid slippery surfaces

💪 Muscles Worked

Gluteus MediusQuadricepsGluteus MaximusAdductorsCalves

⭐ Why This Exercise?

Lateral bounds develop explosive lateral power and single-leg stability crucial for sports requiring quick direction changes. This plyometric exercise enhances frontal plane strength, improves dynamic balance, and builds reactive strength while reducing injury risk in the hips, knees, and ankles through controlled eccentric loading.

Make It Easier

Regressions for building up strength

1. Lateral Step-Out

none

Removes the jumping component, focusing on lateral weight shift and single-leg balance without impact

2. Skater Hop

none

Lower, controlled lateral hop with brief ground contact, building power gradually with less flight time

3. Lateral Bound with Pause

none

Adds a 2-3 second stabilization pause on landing to develop control before adding continuous rhythm

Make It Harder

Progressions for advanced athletes

1. Lateral Bound for Distance

cones + measuring tape

Maximizes horizontal displacement to increase power output and eccentric loading demands

2. Continuous Lateral Bounds

none

Eliminates pause between reps, requiring rapid force production and reactive strength in the stretch-shortening cycle

3. Weighted Lateral Bound

weight vest + light dumbbells

Adds external load via weight vest or light dumbbells to increase power demands and metabolic cost

↕️ Similar Movements

Broad Jump
Sagittal plane equivalent focusing on forward explosive power rather than lateral
Single-Leg Lateral Hop
Same-leg landing version that emphasizes unilateral reactive strength without lateral weight transfer
Cossack Squat
Strength-based lateral movement pattern that builds the mobility and control needed for lateral bounds
Ice Skater
Similar lateral jumping pattern with more emphasis on reaching and rotational control
Lateral Shuffle
Lower-intensity lateral conditioning movement that builds the same movement pattern without plyometric demands

Form Checklist

✓Push off explosively through the entire foot, driving laterally with hip and knee extension
✓Land softly on the opposite leg with knee aligned over toes, absorbing force through hip, knee, and ankle
✓Maintain upright torso with slight forward lean, keeping chest up and core engaged throughout
✓Swing arms across body to generate momentum and aid in balance during flight and landing
✓Stick each landing for 1-2 seconds before the next bound to ensure control and proper alignment

Common Mistakes

  • •Landing with stiff leg or locked knee, increasing impact forces and injury risk
  • •Allowing knee to collapse inward (valgus) on landing instead of maintaining alignment
  • •Insufficient lateral distance, making it more of a vertical jump than a true lateral bound
  • •Rushing between reps without establishing stability, compromising landing quality
  • •Leaning excessively backward or forward, losing balance and reducing power transfer

📈 When to Progress

Progress when you can complete 3 sets of 8-10 bounds per side with consistent soft landings, stable knee alignment, and no loss of balance, while maintaining explosive takeoff power throughout all repetitions