Side Lunge

Overview

The side lunge is a lateral movement assessment that evaluates an athlete’s ability to step to the side with proper form, stability, and lower extremity control. This movement provides valuable information about hip abductor and adductor strength, lateral knee stability, and frontal-plane movement patterns.

Example image of a man doing a side lunge

Instructions

Stand with feet hip-width apart in a neutral stance. Step laterally with one leg, shifting your weight onto the stepping leg and lowering into a lateral squat while keeping the trunk upright and the opposite leg straight. Drop down as far as possible while maintaining heel contact on the stepping foot. Push back through the stepping foot to return to the starting position. Perform at a natural, controlled pace without pausing at the bottom.

Dimensions

Required inputs for processing:

Footedness: [‘right’, ‘left’] — indicates the stepping leg and direction

Output Variables

Events

Event	Short Description	Column Name
Initiation	Start of the lunge when the athlete begins stepping laterally.	`lunge_side_initiation_frame`
Bottom	Instant of maximum lunge depth (lowest pelvis position).	`lunge_side_bottom_frame`
End	End of the movement when the athlete returns to standing.	`lunge_side_end_frame`

Phases

Phase	Start	End
Eccentric (Descent)	Initiation	Bottom
Concentric (Ascent)	Bottom	End

Knee Metrics

Metric	Units	Short Description	Column Name
Right Valgus Bottom	m	Right knee medial displacement at bottom.	`lunge_side_right_valgus_bottom`
Left Valgus Bottom	m	Left knee medial displacement at bottom.	`lunge_side_left_valgus_bottom`

Movement Strategy Metrics

Metric	Units	Short Description	Column Name
Right Eccentric Hip-Knee Dominance	ratio	Right lead leg hip-knee dominance during descent (0=hip, 1=knee).	`lunge_side_right_eccentric_hip_knee_dominance`
Left Eccentric Hip-Knee Dominance	ratio	Left lead leg hip-knee dominance during descent (0=hip, 1=knee).	`lunge_side_left_eccentric_hip_knee_dominance`
Right Concentric Hip-Knee Dominance	ratio	Right lead leg hip-knee dominance during ascent (0=hip, 1=knee).	`lunge_side_right_concentric_hip_knee_dominance`
Left Concentric Hip-Knee Dominance	ratio	Left lead leg hip-knee dominance during ascent (0=hip, 1=knee).	`lunge_side_left_concentric_hip_knee_dominance`

Trunk and Joint Angle Metrics

Metric	Units	Short Description	Column Name
Max Right Trunk Lean	deg	Maximum rightward lateral trunk lean during lunge.	`lunge_side_max_right_trunk_lean`
Max Left Trunk Lean	deg	Maximum leftward lateral trunk lean during lunge.	`lunge_side_max_left_trunk_lean`
Max Right Hip Flexion Angle	deg	Maximum right hip flexion angle during lunge.	`lunge_side_max_right_hip_flexion_angle`
Max Left Hip Flexion Angle	deg	Maximum left hip flexion angle during lunge.	`lunge_side_max_left_hip_flexion_angle`
Max Right Knee Flexion Angle	deg	Maximum right knee flexion angle during lunge.	`lunge_side_max_right_knee_flexion_angle`
Max Left Knee Flexion Angle	deg	Maximum left knee flexion angle during lunge.	`lunge_side_max_left_knee_flexion_angle`
Max Right Ankle Flexion Angle	deg	Maximum right ankle dorsiflexion during lunge.	`lunge_side_max_right_ankle_flexion_angle`
Max Left Ankle Flexion Angle	deg	Maximum left ankle dorsiflexion during lunge.	`lunge_side_max_left_ankle_flexion_angle`

Distance Metrics

Metric	Units	Short Description	Column Name
Lunge Depth	m	Vertical pelvis displacement from baseline to bottom.	`lunge_side_lunge_depth`
Stance Length	m	Anterior–posterior distance between feet at bottom.	`lunge_side_stance_length`
Stance Width	m	Medial–lateral distance between feet at bottom.	`lunge_side_stance_width`

Notes

Kinematic data typically captured at 60 Hz for lunges
Stepping leg metrics (valgus, hip-knee dominance) are reported for the stepping leg only; the non-lead side is set to NaN
Trunk and joint angle metrics are computed over the full lunge window (Initiation to End)
Stance width is the primary distance measure for the side lunge; stance length is expected to be near zero

Get Started

Resources

Biomechanics

Overview

Instructions

Dimensions

Output Variables

Events

Phases

Knee Metrics

Movement Strategy Metrics

Trunk and Joint Angle Metrics

Distance Metrics

Notes

​Overview

​Instructions

​Dimensions

​Output Variables

​Events

​Phases

​Knee Metrics

​Movement Strategy Metrics

​Trunk and Joint Angle Metrics

​Distance Metrics

​Notes

Overview

Instructions

Dimensions

Output Variables

Events

Phases

Knee Metrics

Movement Strategy Metrics

Trunk and Joint Angle Metrics

Distance Metrics

Notes