Lateral Shuffle
Also known as: side shuffle, lateral shuffles, side shuffles, defensive slide, side to side shuffle, lateral shuffle exercise
- Primary muscleCardio
- EquipmentBodyweight
- DifficultyIntermediate
- TypeCardio · Locomotion
- Secondary muscles
- Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings, Calves, Abductors, Adductors
- Body part
- Cardio
- Position
- Seated
- Laterality
- Bilateral (both sides together)
- Category
- Cardio
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Almost everything else in a typical session moves you forward and back; the shuffle trains sideways movement, loading the hip abductors and adductors while you hold a low athletic stance. Distance matters less than posture, so mark out 5 to 10 meters and turn around the moment your hips start rising.
How to do the Lateral Shuffle
- Stand in an athletic stance: feet hip–shoulder width, knees bent, hips back, chest up, arms ready.
- Brace your core and stay light on the balls of your feet.
- Push off the trail foot and step the lead foot laterally; quickly slide the trail foot in without crossing.
- Keep hips low and level; track knees over toes and avoid letting them cave inward.
- Take 2–4 quick shuffles in one direction, then plant the outside foot and reverse.
- Move fast but controlled, landing softly each step, and continue for the set time or distance.
Tip: Work in timed rounds of 20 to 40 seconds and rest at least as long as you worked.
Muscles worked
Primary
Cardio · Cardio
Rope work, skips and shuffles push the heart rate up quickly, so use them for interval conditioning with timed rounds.
Secondary
- Quads
- Glutes
- Hamstrings
- Calves
- Abductors
- Adductors
Common mistakes
- Rushing the reps — whatever the movement, move at a speed you could stop at any point; if you cannot, you are using momentum rather than muscle.
- Cutting the range short — take each rep through the full range the joint allows, since half reps train half the movement.
- Holding the breath — breathe out on the effort and in on the return, and never let a whole set go by on one breath.
- Training without a purpose — pick the movement for a purpose, whether that is conditioning, skill or a warm-up, and train it that way.
Where it fits in a workout
Movements like these go at the end of a session as conditioning or in the warm-up to raise the heart rate. Alternate a timed round of ropes or shuffles with a bodyweight movement like push-ups for a simple circuit.
How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.
Variations and alternatives
When to talk to someone
- Chest discomfort, feeling faint or lightheaded, or trouble breathing during or after exercise can be signs of a heart attack. In the US, call 911 right away; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
- Heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or symptoms like these when you are active: talk to your doctor before you start or step up training.
- Pregnant: ask your obstetric care provider which exercise suits you.
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More exercises
Sources
- ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
- ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
- ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
- CDC: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (2024)
Sources checked on October 17, 2026. Full citations are in the exercise library.
Animation and exercise data: ExerciseDB, licensed to SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.