Step-Up

A simple, low-skill unilateral exercise; pick a box you can control without knee discomfort. Progress by raising the box height or adding dumbbells.

• Compound
• Bodyweight
• Beginner

How to do it

• Box height should leave your thigh roughly parallel to the floor
• Stand up by driving through the heel of your top leg
• Do not push off with your bottom leg
• Lower under control, do not drop into it

Sets, reps and tempo

Ranges: 8–12 per leg · 1–2 RIR

Tempo: Pull up under control without swinging, lower for 2 s braking the descent

Common mistakes

• Pushing off with your bottom leg (bouncing)
• A box so high that it forces you to lean over
• Dropping into the descent with no control

Muscles worked

Primary

• Quads

Secondary

• Glutes

Alternatives

• Alternating Dumbbell Forward Lunge
• Bulgarian Split Squat