How many reps of the cable lateral lunge to row should you do per side when you are new to the exercise?

Use a light to moderate weight for 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps per side, and own a bodyweight lateral lunge before adding the cable row.

What can you do instead of the cable lateral lunge to row if you don't have a cable machine?

A resistance band anchored at a similar mid-height trains the same lateral-lunge-and-row combination outside a gym. Without either, pairing a bodyweight lateral lunge with a single-arm dumbbell row covers the same two patterns separately.

What is the cable lateral lunge to row good for, and when should you skip it?

It fills a real gap for hip and groin resilience by loading the frontal plane, a direction most gym programs skip. Skip it if you have groin or adductor irritation, since the stretch under load directly loads that tissue, or as a first lateral-movement drill if you've never done a bodyweight lateral lunge.

Intermediate

Cable Lateral Lunge to Row

The lateral lunge opens up the frontal plane, loading the adductors and glute of the bending leg, while the row trains the back as you push back to standing. Working side to side is a pattern most gym programs skip, so this fills a real gap for hips and groin resilience. It suits athletes and anyone wanting balanced movement in more than just the forward and back directions.

Equipment: Cables
Body part: Lats, Thighs
Type: Functional, Strength
Browse by muscle: Adductor Magnus, Gluteus Maximus, Latissimus Dorsi
Browse by movement: Horizontal Pull, Lunge

How to do it

1
Set a mid-height pulley and hold the handle in the hand nearest the stack.
2
Stand side-on, feet together, and take a wide step away from the stack into a lateral lunge.
3
Sit the hip back over the bent knee while the trail leg stays straight, letting the cable arm reach forward.
4
Push hard off the bent leg to return to standing and row the handle to your ribs as you come up.
5
Lower into the next lateral lunge under control, keeping tension on the cable.
6
Complete all reps, then face the other way and switch sides.

Tips

Sit back into the hip rather than letting the knee drift past the toes.
Row with the elbow driving back and the shoulder blade pulling toward your spine.
Keep the trail leg straight to feel the stretch and load through the inner thigh.

Variations

Common mistakes

The starting stance is set too narrow, which shrinks how far you can actually step out and turns a lateral lunge into a half-lunge.
The trail foot rolls onto its inner edge as the hip sits back instead of staying flat, collapsing the arch and straining the ankle on that side.
The torso rotates toward the machine during the row instead of staying square to the lunge, turning a straight pull into a twisting one.
The trail leg quietly pushes off the floor to help stand back up, when it's the bent working leg that's supposed to do that job.

Frequently asked

How many reps of the cable lateral lunge to row should you do per side when you are new to the exercise?: Use a light to moderate weight for 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps per side, and own a bodyweight lateral lunge before adding the cable row.
What can you do instead of the cable lateral lunge to row if you don't have a cable machine?: A resistance band anchored at a similar mid-height trains the same lateral-lunge-and-row combination outside a gym. Without either, pairing a bodyweight lateral lunge with a single-arm dumbbell row covers the same two patterns separately.
What is the cable lateral lunge to row good for, and when should you skip it?: It fills a real gap for hip and groin resilience by loading the frontal plane, a direction most gym programs skip. Skip it if you have groin or adductor irritation, since the stretch under load directly loads that tissue, or as a first lateral-movement drill if you've never done a bodyweight lateral lunge.

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