Train sideways and your knees will thank you.
Push your hips back like closing a door, don't let your knee cave inward.
The lateral lunge loads the quads through a deep sideways sit, one knee bending under your full bodyweight while the other leg stays long. The glutes assist heavily because you're sitting back into the working hip rather than dropping straight down, so the movement is half squat, half hinge. It belongs in your programme because almost everything else you do travels forwards and backwards, and this is the move that builds strength in the direction sport actually happens.
Usually it's tight adductors on the straight leg or trying to stay too upright. Widen your step, push your hips back further, and let your torso lean slightly forward over the working thigh. Depth comes with practice.
A lateral lunge starts with feet together and steps out each rep, so you also train the step and push back to standing. The lateral squat keeps a fixed wide stance and shifts side to side. The lunge is more dynamic, the squat lets you groove depth.
Keep the stepping foot flat and let the trailing foot do what's comfortable, many people let the toes tilt up as they sit deep. What matters is the working heel staying planted and the knee tracking over the foot.
