If you are looking for an exercise you can do at-home or in the gym to help strengthen your glutes and keep your knees and hips healthy, this drill is for you.
All you need is a mini band.
🍑 Lateral Band Walks
The glutes are a prime mover for many essential human movements including walking, running, climbing stairs, and squatting.
Strengthening them can lead to improved performance and a reduced chance of injury.
There is plenty of research drawing a correlation between decreased gluteal activity and injury in the hip, knee, and ankle.
Knees caving and hips shifting during squats are a couple of compensations that can lead to stress and progress to eventual discomfort or injury over time.
The Lateral Band Walk is a great exercise for strengthening your gluteal complex and other hip external rotators.
Strengthening these muscle groups can help decrease (again, typically) knee caving and hip shifting.
Another benefit of the Lateral Band Walk is the frontal plane (side to side) nature of the movement.
A lot of programs emphasize a lot of movement in the sagittal plane (front to back), including squats, bench press, and deadlifts (those damn Powerlifters). Practicing other exercises in the frontal plane can help improve overall performance and reduce injury by strengthening muscles by getting you to move differently.
📕 Exercise Technique
Start by wrapping a band around your knees or ankles.
Position your feet at shoulder-width apart. Lower your level by hinging back at your hips and bending your knees:
1. Push away with your trail leg to take side step.
2. Return your trail leg to the starting position.
3. Repeat for 10-15 steps in each direction.
The further down the band is from your hips, the more challenging the movement.
For an added challenge, try wrapping your band around your forefoot or placing bands around your knees AND ankles.
📝 Coaching Notes
✅ Knees Aligned w/ 2nd and 3rd Toes
✅ Hinge Back at Hips
✅ Keep Core Braced and Resist Trunk Movement; Move Through Your Hips
✅ Push AWAY with Your Trail Leg; Avoid Dragging Your Trail Leg
🏋🏽 If this brief guide and instructional video and information helped you better understand the Lateral Band Walks and how to use them, please remember to share it with your family and friends so they can benefit too.
