How many sets and reps of the slider lateral lunge should you do when you are new to the exercise?

Aim for 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 10 slides per side, keeping the tempo slow enough that every rep reaches the same depth as the first. Once that volume feels easy with control, lengthen the slide distance before you add any extra load.

What can you use instead of a slider for the lateral lunge if you don't have one?

A folded towel or a paper plate under the foot works on tile, wood, or any hard smooth floor. On carpet where nothing will glide, do a standard side lunge instead, stepping the foot out and back rather than sliding it.

What is the slider lateral lunge good for, and when should you pick something else?

It trains frontal-plane strength and control along with an inner-thigh stretch, which suits anyone working on lateral movement for sport or wanting more variety than forward and backward lunges. It is a poor choice if you have a cranky groin or knee that reacts badly to a deep sideways stretch, since the position loads the adductors right at their longest length.

Intermediate

Slider Lateral Lunge

Sliding the trailing leg out sideways forces the stance leg to control the descent through a long range while the adductors stretch and load. The continuous friction keeps tension high and challenges frontal-plane balance and control. It is a smooth, joint-friendly way to train lateral movement and single-leg strength.

Equipment: Sliders
Body part: Quads, Thighs
Type: Balance, Strength
Browse by muscle: Rectus Femoris, Vastus Lateralis
Browse by movement: Lunge

How to do it

1
Stand with one foot on a slider or towel on a smooth floor.
2
Keep your weight over the planted stance leg.
3
Push the sliding foot out to the side, bending the stance knee.
4
Sit the hips back and down until you feel a stretch in the inner thigh of the sliding leg.
5
Keep the stance heel flat and the knee tracking over the toes.
6
Pull the slider back in by driving through the stance leg, then repeat and switch sides.

Tips

Keep the sliding leg fairly straight as it travels out.
Sit back into the hips rather than letting the stance knee cave in.
Move slowly enough to stay in full control of the slide.

Variations

Common mistakes

The stance heel lifts off the floor as the hips sink, which shifts the load onto the toes and takes tension off the glute doing the work.
Bending the sliding knee as it travels out turns the lateral lunge into a shallow squat and takes the stretch off the inner thigh entirely.
The torso rounds forward to reach lower depth instead of sitting the hips back, turning a hip-dominant lunge into a spinal one.
Sliding out too far past what the hip can control leaves you stuck at the bottom with no way to drive back except by lunging the stance leg forward.
Later reps in the set slide out a noticeably shorter distance as the adductors tire, which quietly shrinks the range even though the rep count looks the same.

Frequently asked

How many sets and reps of the slider lateral lunge should you do when you are new to the exercise?: Aim for 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 10 slides per side, keeping the tempo slow enough that every rep reaches the same depth as the first. Once that volume feels easy with control, lengthen the slide distance before you add any extra load.
What can you use instead of a slider for the lateral lunge if you don't have one?: A folded towel or a paper plate under the foot works on tile, wood, or any hard smooth floor. On carpet where nothing will glide, do a standard side lunge instead, stepping the foot out and back rather than sliding it.
What is the slider lateral lunge good for, and when should you pick something else?: It trains frontal-plane strength and control along with an inner-thigh stretch, which suits anyone working on lateral movement for sport or wanting more variety than forward and backward lunges. It is a poor choice if you have a cranky groin or knee that reacts badly to a deep sideways stretch, since the position loads the adductors right at their longest length.

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