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Single-Leg Step-Down 10s · no sound

Single-Leg Step-Down

Single-leg lowering off a box, tapping the floor with the free foot before driving back up to the top.

Primary muscle
Glutes, Quads
Equipment
Bodyweight
Difficulty
Intermediate
Movement
Squat
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How to do it

  1. Stand on a box or step about eight inches high with one foot along its edge.
  2. Set the free foot just off the edge, level your hips and rest your hands at your waist.
  3. Bend the standing knee slowly and lower the free foot toward the floor.
  4. Tap the floor lightly with your heel or toe without shifting any weight onto it.
  5. Drive back up through the standing leg until that knee is straight.
  6. Complete your reps, then step off and repeat on the other leg.

Common mistakes

  • Letting the standing knee cave inward, which is the exact fault the drill is meant to correct.
  • Hiking the hip on the free-leg side, which offloads the glutes and hides the control problem.
  • Dropping fast instead of lowering, which skips the eccentric work the exercise exists for.
  • Taking weight on the tapping foot, which turns it into a two-legged squat.

Muscles worked

Primary
GlutesQuads
Secondary
AbsHamstrings

Same movement, other equipment

Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squat Intermediate Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squat Glutes Dumbbell Dumbbell Front Squat (Tempo) Intermediate Dumbbell Front Squat (Tempo) Glutes Dumbbell Zercher Squat Intermediate Zercher Squat Glutes Barbell Band Squat Beginner Band Squat Glutes Resistance band

Similar exercises

Bodyweight Box Squat Beginner Bodyweight Box Squat Glutes Bodyweight Bodyweight Squat Beginner Bodyweight Squat Glutes Bodyweight Pistol Squat Advanced Pistol Squat Glutes Bodyweight Pistol Squat (Assisted) Intermediate Pistol Squat (Assisted) Glutes Bodyweight Wall Ball Intermediate Wall Ball Front Delts Bodyweight

Good to know

What muscles does the Single-Leg Step-Down work?
Mainly the glutes and quads. It also works the abs and hamstrings.
What equipment do you need for the Single-Leg Step-Down?
None. It is a bodyweight exercise.
Is the Single-Leg Step-Down good for beginners?
GymVim rates it intermediate. For a beginner-rated exercise on the same muscle and movement, see the Band Squat.

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