Legs / Beginner / Compound (multi-joint)

Single-Leg Lateral Hop

An explosive bodyweight exercise for the quads, with the hip abductors, adductors and calves assisting.

At a glance

Primary

Quads

Secondary

Hip abductors (glute med), Adductors, Calves, Hamstrings

Equipment

Bodyweight

Movement pattern

Jump / plyometric

Level

Beginner

Type

Legs, Compound (multi-joint), One side at a time, Balance / unstable, Explosive

Loads the knee. Use a load you can control and skip it if it causes pain.

How to do it

1. Stand to the side of a cone or hurdle. To get into the start position, stand on one leg with your knee slightly bent.
2. To begin, execute a counterjump to hop sideways over the cone.
3. Land on your jumping leg, and immediately rebound out of it by jumping back to the start position.
4. Continue hopping back and forth.

Common mistakes

• ✗ Knee caving in on landing.

  Why it hurts: Single-leg landings are a main cause of ACL injury and ankle sprains.

  ✓ Instead: Master two-leg hops first, then land single-leg with the knee over the toes and hold each landing briefly.

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