Lateral Bound

A beginner compound plyometric exercise that works the inner thighs, needing no equipment.

Lateral Bound — Starting position Starting position
Lateral Bound — End position End position
Difficulty Beginner
Type Plyometrics
Equipment No Equipment
Primary Muscle Inner Thighs
AI Rep Counting Log manually

How to Do Lateral Bound

  1. Assume a half squat position facing 90 degrees from your direction of travel. This will be your starting position.
  2. Allow your lead leg to do a countermovement inward as you shift your weight to the outside leg.
  3. Immediately push off and extend, attempting to bound to the side as far as possible.
  4. Upon landing, immediately push off in the opposite direction, returning to your original start position.
  5. Continue back and forth for several repetitions.

Muscles Worked

Front
Back

Primary

Where Lateral Bound does most of its work.

Secondary

Assisting and stabilising muscles.

Alternatives to Lateral Bound

5 movements that train the same primary muscle, closest substitutes first — same kind of training, then variations of the movement itself, then a similar difficulty.

  1. 1 Lateral Box Jump

    Lateral Box Jump

    A beginner compound plyometric exercise that works the inner thighs.

    beginner Not specified
  2. 2 Lateral Cone Hops

    Lateral Cone Hops

    A beginner compound plyometric exercise that works the inner thighs.

    beginner Not specified
  3. 3 Carioca Quick Step

    Carioca Quick Step

    A beginner plyometric exercise that works the inner thighs.

    beginner Not specified
  4. 4 Thigh Adductor

    Thigh Adductor

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the inner thighs, using a machine.

    beginner Machines
  5. 5 Band Hip Adductions

    Band Hip Adductions

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the inner thighs, using a resistance band.

    beginner Resistance Bands

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles do lateral bound work?

Lateral Bound primarily works the inner thighs. The glutes, calves, hamstrings and quads assist as secondary muscles.

What equipment do I need for lateral bound?

None. Lateral Bound is a bodyweight movement you can do anywhere you have floor space.

Lateral Bound: is it suitable for beginners?

Yes. Lateral Bound is rated beginner. Movements you can learn in a session, with a low skill floor and a forgiving failure mode.

What can I do instead of lateral bound?

Lateral Box Jump, Lateral Cone Hops, Carioca Quick Step train the same primary muscles and are listed with 2 more alternatives above.

Can Fitnit count my lateral bound reps automatically?

Not automatically yet. Fitnit's AI rep counting covers push-ups, squats, dumbbell curls, crunches and pull-ups today; lateral bound can be logged manually in the app, and tracked movements are added over time.

Photographs and step-by-step instructions from free-exercise-db, a public-domain exercise dataset. Muscle mapping and alternatives by Fitnit.

Track Your Lateral Bound with AI

Fitnit automatically tracks push-ups, crunches, squats, pull-ups, and curls with advanced body tracking technology — and you can manually input any other workout too. Start free — Pro is $8.99/month.