Why Side Lunges Are Crucial for Athletic Performance and Injury Prevention

When it comes to building athleticism, one of the most overlooked exercises is the side lunge. While many athletes and coaches focus on traditional movements like squats, deadlifts, and other bi-lateral movements in the sagittal plane (forward and backward motion), lateral movements are often neglected. However, for sports that require rapid changes in direction, such as basketball, wrestling, soccer, football, tennis, etc, incorporating side lunges can drastically enhance performance and reduce injury risks.

Side lunges, or lateral lunges, train the body in the frontal plane, which involves side-to-side movements. This type of movement is critical for athletes because:

1. Change of Direction: Nearly all field and court sports require athletes to decelerate, plant, and explosively push off laterally. Side lunges mimic this action by strengthening the muscles used in lateral movement, including the glutes, adductors, abductors, and quadriceps.

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