This is your starting position. Lateral Band Walks Place a resistance band just below your knees. Step 2: Begin exercise by stepping to the left while facing forward for about 20 feet (or as much room as you have). Begin standing with feet directly underneath your hips, and squat about halfway down. Ensure that your knees remain in line with your toes and stand upright. Mini band lateral walk increases lateral hip and thigh strength to assist in rapidly changing direction. One can use the lateral band walk as a warm up/activation exercise or as a … Step 3: Reverse movement and step to the right for 20 feet. However, researchers found that by placing the band around the forefeet, gluteal activation was higher compared to placing the band around the ankles or knees. The vast majority of useful exercises involve some kind of resistance and the lateral band walk exercise is perfect when looking to strengthen the top of your thighs as well as the abductor muscles. Therefore this simple body-weight exercise is especially beneficial for any athlete who engages in sports that require running, jumping, pivoting and twisting. The lateral band walk is an exercise used to strengthen and build the muscles of the glutes. Banded side steps….ooooh so fancy and sexy! Create an X by crossing the bands in front of your legs and holding the band in each hand at hip height. To calculate the number of calories burned doing the lateral walk, enter your weight and the duration of the exercise: There are several variations of lateral walks, like placing a band around the knees or ankles. How to: Lateral Band Walk Primary Muscles Used:Glutes, Gluteals, Hip Abductors Exercise Families:Hip Abduction Equipment:Resistance Band Trainer:Stephanie Sanzo With a resistance band looped around your legs (just under your knees), plant both feet on the floor hip-width apart. This completes one rep. Repeat as necessary. Lateral Band Walk Exercise Pointers. CALORIES BURNED. Lateral Band Walk • Assume wider-than-hip-width stance with light resistance band around feet; hold band excess with hands in front • Keeping hips low, step right with right foot Take 10 to 12 steps to each side or keep alternating sides for 30 to 60 seconds. But really, there is an over-obsession with the banded side step exercise in the fitness community, yet most don’t really need to do this exercise if they are already healthy and strong as the maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) for the gluteus medius in the exercise is not even at an adequate level for true strength gains (<40% MVIC). Take a perform better resistance band of appropriate resistance and place it securely around the ball of your feet; Hinge your hips backwards keeping your core tight while you slightly bend your knees. You should be in a deadlift position in your spine. Take three lateral steps to the left, then repeat, going to the right. Using one of the fitness bands readily available today, place the band around either your lower legs or your knees. Mini Band Lateral Walk. How to do Lateral Resistance Band Walk: Step 1: Place a 20-inch band around your ankles and stand with back straight. To increase the challenge, place an elastic band around both thighs and do the lateral band walk instead.