How to Do Lateral Bounds

Would you like a simple workout that trains your calves, quads, hamstrings, core, glutes, and cardio all at the same time? Then the lateral bound is perfect for you! This plyometric workout is great for building endurance and explosive muscle energy in your lower body. Even better, it’s very easy to learn and there are tons of variations if you want to get a more intense workout.

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Basic Exercise

1. Stand in a half-squat with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Hold your arms out straight in front of your chest. Bend your knees slightly and shift your weight to the balls of your feet.^[1]
   
   • To make jumping a little easier, try starting with your right foot lifted off the ground and all of your weight on your left foot.
   • Keep your core tight by clenching your abs throughout the whole motion. This helps support your body.
   • You can start on your right foot instead and reverse these directions. It doesn’t matter which side you start on.
2. Push off your left foot to hop to the right. Quickly shift all of your weight onto your left foot and lift your right foot. Then, push off the ground hard with your left foot to hop sideways.^[2]
   
   
   • Take a small jump if you’re just getting started. As you get better, push harder and jump further.
   • Some variations say to keep your hands in front of your chest during the bound. Others say to pump your arms with each bound, which gives you a more intense workout.
3. Land with all of your weight on your right foot and keep your left foot lifted. Come down on the ball of your right foot to maintain your balance as you land. Bend your knee to absorb the impact and prepare to hop back. Keep your left foot lifted slightly off the ground so all of your weight is on your right foot.^[3]
   
   
   • Left foot positioning varies. Some say to keep the left foot near the right knee, and others prefer to sweep it back behind their left leg. Do what you're most comfortable with!
   • If you’re having trouble keeping your balance, take a smaller hop.
4. Pause for a moment and push off your right foot to jump left. Hold your position for a second, then spring off your right foot to the side again, jumping back to the left.^[4]
   
   
   • Don’t worry if you lose your balance. Just reset yourself and keep going.
5. Land on your left foot to complete a rep. Try to land on the ball of your left foot, keeping your right foot off the ground. This completes 1 repetition of a lateral bound.^[5]
   
   
6. Repeat this movement 10 times for a full set. Continue bounding from side to side to train your legs, hips, and core muscles as well as get your heart rate up. After a few reps, you’ll start feeling the burn!^[6]
   
   
   • Try doing 2 sets of 10 reps to start. You can add more reps later as you get better at the exercise.^[7]
   • Time the exercise instead of counting reps for a great workout. Set a 1-minute timer and bound side to side as many times as you can until the timer goes off.
   • As an alternative, simply bound back and forth until you can't do anymore reps. This is a more intense workout.

[Edit]Variations

1. Take longer jumps to make the workout harder. Once you get the basic motion for lateral bounds down, it’s simple to give yourself a better workout. Just try to take longer bounds from side to side. This strengthens your legs muscles more and also boosts your cardio and endurance training.^[8]
   
   
   • Remember to stay in the right form while you’re taking longer jumps. Don’t sacrifice form for more distance.
   • If you’re trying to jump further, pumping your arms from side to side instead of keeping them in front of your chest will help you gain more distance.
2. Hold a medicine ball to increase the resistance. You can easily add weight to the lateral bound with a medicine ball. Hold the ball with both hands on the side that you’re hopping off from. When you hop, swing the ball across your body in the direction you’re hopping. Continue swinging back and forth during the workout.^[9]
   
   • Be sure to keep your core tight if you’re using a medicine ball. It’s easier to hurt your back if you’re holding weight.
   • You could also just hold the medicine ball in front of your chest instead of swinging it. This still adds resistance and it's a bit easier.
3. Squat down when you land on your opposite foot for a leg workout. This gives your legs and glutes more of a burn. When you land on your opposite foot after a bound, bring your feet together. Then squat down until your thighs are almost parallel with the floor. Raise back up and bound to the other side. Repeat this squat for every bound.^[10]
   
   
   • When you’re just starting out with this variation, plant both feet on the ground. When your legs get stronger, keep the leg you hopped off in the air to focus all the weight on one foot.
   • Remember to keep your core tight. You can hurt your back if you don’t stay straight while doing a squat.
4. Jump at 45-degree angles to advance forward with every bound. Instead of jumping directly side to side, hop at about a 45-degree angle with each bound. That way, you’ll gradually move forward for a more dynamic exercise.^[11]
   
   
   • A long hallway is a good place for this exercise so you have plenty of room to move forward.
   • You also don’t need a lot of room to do this exercise. You can bound forward a few times, then turn around and go back.
5. Add a small bounce to every bound for more cardio training. Each time you land after a bound, do a tiny bounce with that same foot. Don’t switch sides, just hop up slightly. This adds more cardio to the lateral bound.^[12]
   
   
   • You can do this whether you’re staying in place or advancing forward when you bound. It’ll make the workout more intense in either case.

[Edit]Tips

• If you have trouble with balance, try practicing by standing on one foot for a few minutes at a time. This might make the exercise easier.

[Edit]Warnings

• This might be painful if you have knee trouble, so don’t do this exercise if it hurts your knees.

[Edit]References

1. ↑ https://www.menshealth.com/uk/fitness/a753490/lateral-bound/
2. ↑ https://youtu.be/mu9fPadIhGk?t=20
3. ↑ https://youtu.be/mu9fPadIhGk?t=22
4. ↑ https://www.menshealth.com/uk/fitness/a753490/lateral-bound/
5. ↑ https://www.menshealth.com/uk/fitness/a753490/lateral-bound/
6. ↑ https://youtu.be/mu9fPadIhGk?t=29
7. ↑ https://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/a20696737/lateral-bounds/
8. ↑ https://youtu.be/Rlf8hQ-Jzis?t=1
9. ↑ https://youtu.be/eAr5OlqrFYw?t=15
10. ↑ https://www.menshealth.com/uk/fitness/a753490/lateral-bound/
11. ↑ https://youtu.be/TWAPkD1smq4?t=10
12. ↑ https://youtu.be/TWAPkD1smq4?t=24

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