Step-ups
Step up onto an elevation — single-leg extension with high carry-over to daily life.
Execution
- Stand in front of a stable elevation (bench, step).
- Place one foot completely on the elevation — heel centred on the surface.
- Drive up through that heel until the back leg is airborne; pause briefly.
- Step back down under control, repeating on the same leg or alternating.
Tips
- Pick a height where the front knee bends to about 90° — otherwise momentum takes over.
- Don't push off the back leg — the stimulus has to come from the working (front) leg.
The leg exercise closest to daily life
The step-up exactly reproduces what happens when climbing stairs: single-leg extension against your own body weight. That makes it the exercise with the most direct carry-over to daily life, and it makes it a good test — if you can manage a knee-high step without pushing off with the back foot, you have a usable single-leg base.
Execution
Place one foot fully on the elevation. The weight shifts onto that foot, then the front leg drives the body up. The back leg must not assist — the most common and most effective mistake to avoid. Stabilize briefly at the top, then step down under control.
Height controls the difficulty: knee height is the standard, lower to start, higher to progress.
Common mistakes
- Pushing off with the back foot. Turns the single-leg exercise into a two-legged one. The back toes should carry no weight.
- Dropping on the way down. The lowering phase is where the training effect happens — three seconds down.
- Knee caves inward. Usually a sign the step is too high.
Programming
Three sets of 8 to 12 reps per side. For older trainees and after knee injuries, the step-up is often the better entry point than the lunge, because the height is easy to fine-tune.