I enjoy working out a lot to improve my balance and hip stability. However, every time I do my exercise routine, I always find myself suffering from minimal injuries here and there.

Fortunately, my instructor recommended I try and train using Lateral Movement Training to avoid further injuries.

Lateral Movement Training: Should You Try it?

What is a Lateral Movement Training?

To start, we need to first understand what Lateral Movement Training is. Basically, it is an exercise where one moves their body from side to side, up and down, and front and back.

It involves different kinds of movements, such as lunges and curls. Although it sounds simple, Lateral Movement Training improves your muscles’ stability and movement. So, it is no surprise that even athletes perform such exercises.

To learn more about the benefits of Lateral Movement Training and how can it help you, read the following below.

Lateral Movement Training Benefits

Lateral Movement Training is an amazing initial exercise routine. However, you can also use it as a complement to your existing one. Let us get to know more about its benefits in this list.

It Prevents Injury

Many exercises and routines tend to be heavy and challenging for the body, which may lead to injuries. However, lateral exercises are one of the exceptions.

Instructors and professionals encourage people to perform Lateral Movement Training before doing any other routines.

It exercises muscles, such as muscles and tendons surrounding joint structures, that are not frequently strengthened.

In most exercises, for example, running, you regularly use the same dominant muscles. It leads to those specific muscles becoming stronger, while the untrained and smaller muscles remain the same.

It can lead to injury as there is an imbalance between your trained and untrained muscles. So, it is no surprise when it was reported that muscle injury is one of the most common injuries suffered by athletes and non-athletes alike.

Interestingly, most reported injuries came from sports-related activities.

Strengthens And Stabilizes Smaller Muscles

As already highlighted, Lateral Movement Training targets unnoticed muscle areas. These smaller muscles can keep up with the larger and targeted muscles, making a good working balance between the two groups.

It is a great exercise even for people who are ready to lift weights as it targets muscles and tendons around the hips and thighs. If you are unfortunate to lift a heavy weight without proper Lateral Movement Training, then it can lead to muscle strain.

Muscle strain or muscle tear can take a few weeks to recover. So, you need to make sure to avoid doing any heavy tasks during your recovery period.

This is where Lateral Movement Training comes into play, filling in the gap and strengthening your other muscles. However, you should be careful not to push yourself over your usual range of motion.

It can be counterintuitive once you try to squat or lunge onto a level you are not comfortable with. So, you need to make sure to start on a range you can perform well.

Good For The Mind

Lateral Movement Training consists of multiple kinds of routines. It adds variety to your existing exercise. If you are an athlete, chances you are doing the same routine over and over again.

It means that only specific muscles are being trained. Although it can develop muscle memory, which is awesome for your field, it can cause stagnation for your brain.

Adding Lateral Movement Training can improve your brain productivity as it forces it to learn new techniques while simultaneously moving in ways it barely did before.

In general, exercise can increase growth in your brain by making it easier to produce new neuronal connections. And adding Lateral Movement Training to the mix can also improve your responsiveness and stimuli.

Adds Variety to Your Workout

Admittedly, there are times when we find ourselves bored doing the same exercise routine all over again. Your mind and body get used to it that they automatically do it in a heartbeat.

Although it is not a bad thing, it only means that the same muscles get trained, and your brain does not need to exert any effort. At the same time, it can also cause these specific muscles to get strained and injured easier as it does not have time to rest.

Lateral Movement Training is an excellent addition to your routine as you can combine different types of movements. You do not need to do the same old set, which can challenge your brain and body to learn new things.

At the same time, it can make your routine less boring as you can perform exercises outside your usual comfort zone.

Makes You a Better Athlete

If you noticed, many sports push athletes to move forward and backward and up and down. However, rarely do they exercise from side to side.

Interestingly, when you watch sports, most of these athletes are required to move side to side to avoid the opponent or move faster. No wonder most athletes will eventually suffer from muscle tearing.

Many athletes have adopted Lateral Movement Training to improve their sideways movements. Eventually, this training can also enhance their mobility, quickness, and speed.

It also makes them flexible as they perform routines that their usual pieces of training do not have. Since it is something new, it challenges them to adapt to changes immediately.

So, if you are a basketball player, you can easily and quickly respond to a ball thrown directly to your side.

Different Kinds of Lateral Movement Training

Lateral Movement Training is not only restricted to a specific movement. There are actually different types to choose from, which you can mix and match as you go through.

If you are unsure which types of exercises are Lateral Movement Training, here are the most common kinds you can easily adapt to.

Lateral Lunges

Lateral Lunges, also known as Side Lunges, focus on stabilizing smaller lateral muscles. It mainly strengthens muscles surrounding the knee area.

Lateral Lunges are so effective that studies have shown that they can help treat injuries to ligaments in the knees. You can also add weights to this workout, but make sure weights that you can lift.

To effectively perform Lateral Lunges, here is some information to look after:

• Always start standing upright, ensuring your feet are not more than shoulder-width apart.
• With or without weight, take a big step sideways, bending the outward knee.
• Ensure that you lower your upper body to the bended knee
• Raise your upper body into a standing position using your leg muscles, pushing downward your heel
• Repeat the process on the other side

You can take it slow when doing your lunge so every bit of your muscle can start feeling the exercise. It is more beneficial to have your muscles engaged instead of having more than one rep.

Lateral Shuffle

Lateral Shuffle is a great cardio exercise as it increases your heart rate while ensuring you sweat by the end of the routine. It aims for your quads, calves, hamstrings, glutes, and hip abductors.

Many athletes incorporate Lateral Shuffles into their routine to improve their agility and speed. It is quite an easy exercise you can start on your own. Here is how to properly do it:

• Start by standing firm with feet hip distance apart
• Lower your upper body to reach a knee bend
• Pull your arms towards your chest, making a guard position
• Move your right foot towards your right side with your left foot follow after every step
• Shuffle or step four times toward your right side
• Then, continue shuffling toward your left side
• You are free to repeat it multiple times, just ensure your upper body is still leveled with your bended knees.

Lateral Squat

Lateral Squat targets your inner thighs and posterior chain. Just like any other squat routine, it is perfect for your leg day! However, it is also an excellent prep workout before doing any of your usual exercises.

To ensure that this Lateral Squat movement will improve your side-to-side, you must understand how to properly perform it. Here is a simple breakdown you can follow:

• Stand and spread your feet wider than your hips
• Your knees and toes must be pointing sideward. No need to make it exactly pointing at 3 and 9 o’clock; a relaxed 1 and 11 o’clock angle is enough.
• To balance yourself, keep your arms in front of your chest
• Shift your weight towards your right heel and bend your right knee. Make sure that you keep your left leg straight as you bend.
• While you bend, make sure to push your hips back
• Stop bending until your thigh is parallel to the floor (for starters, you can stop midway)
• Push yourself back in the middle, straightening both legs. Make sure to take a pause while standing before going to your left side.
• Repeat the process until satisfied.

Side Leg Raise

If you think the previous Lateral Movement Training routines are easy for you, then the Side Leg Raise might give you the challenge. It is perfect prep work before doing lunges and squats.

Side Leg Raise targets your hip joints and knees, ensuring that all the small muscles are strengthened. It can be performed standing or lying down, but a standing Side Leg Raise is not recommended as it is prone to improper practice.

In this part, I’ll be sharing how to properly do a Side Leg Raise.

• Keep your legs straight and avoid locking your knees
• Ensure your hips are aligned and avoid shifting them forward or backward
• Keep your back straight and avoid bending
• Start raising one of your legs, making sure you reach the proper range of motion. Do not overextend as it may strain your hip flexors or throw you off balance.
• Repeat lifting your legs onto the other side.

Can Anyone do Lateral Movement Training?

Yes! Generally, anyone can perform Lateral Movement Training regardless of age. It is simple and composed of easy-to-do steps that can be completed regardless of age.

Understandably, Lateral Movement Training has jumping, lifting, and squats, which can be uncomfortable for people suffering from some physical difficulties. However, most of these routines are highly customizable.

For example, Lateral Lunges can be done even with a slight knee bend. You can also do Side Leg Raises by raising it a few centimeters from the ground. It does not need to be perfectly executed.

Final Thoughts

Lateral Movement Training has an insane amount of benefits, regardless if you are a gym nut, an athlete, or a regular person. It is an excellent prep workout while making trying to healthily raise your heart rate. You can avoid incurring major injury if you properly execute this one.

As we highlighted, lateral exercises are an awesome way to strengthen smaller muscles that are overlooked by most exercises. It also improved your agility and speed in no time.

Since it is a reasonable routine, you can do it anywhere, anytime. It is ideal that you consistently do it at least two to three times a week. You can start with 10 minutes, gradually building it up.

However, if you are looking into learning more about fitness, you might want to check out here for free resources to start or upgrade your fitness journey!