Lateral Band Walk or X Band Walk Exercise
X Band Walk Exercise | Lateral Band Walk… Hitting your legs and glutes from home and without big equipment can be a challenge. After several knee injuries, I was introduced to X band walks or lateral band walks by a physical therapist and have been including them both in my own leg day and that for my online training clients now for more than 15 years. This simple, do anywhere banded leg exercise is a great one for trainees of all fitness levels.
What Muscles Do Lateral Band Walks Work?
A lateral band walk or X band walk exercise hits hard throughout the gluteal muscles but with the added bonus of hip abductor and core involvement.
- Gluteus Medius
- Gluteus Minimums
- Tensor Fasciae Latae
- Core
- Hip Abductors
Does Walking With Resistance Bands Work?
The short answer is yes! Walking with resistance bands helps to engage deep leg muscles to both stabilize and strengthen. Walking with bands is particularly good for glute activation as it allows isolation of the glute muscles without needing the larger and more powerful quads and hamstrings to take over.
How To Do A Lateral Band Walk or an X Band Walk Exercise?
X Band Walk Exercise uses a long band that you might find being used for assisted pull-ups. The resistance band should be long enough that if you are standing and holding the band at your shoulder level, it will come down to your knees without being stretched.
The first step with X Band Walks is to get into position with the resistance band.
- Stand straight with your feet shoulder width apart.
- Bring the resistance band down to the floor and step on the bottom of the band with each foot.
- Squat down slightly as you cross the band in front of your body, holding the top with each hand.
- Stand up straight maintaining your hand and foot position creating a square and allowing the band to form an “X” shape in front of your body.
Once you are in position:
- Begin side stepping slowly keeping the band under foot and in hand.
- Move slowly but steadily to one side with small steps before returning to the other side.
- Be sure to keep a hold of the band. The larger your steps, the more the band will resist and the more challenging the X Band Walk will be.
- Continue with steps until you can finished the number of reps and sets. I like to count one rep as a step both to the right and to the left.
Julie’s Tip for Lateral Band Walks…
Begin with a band that is thinner and lower in resistance. Over time, as you get stronger, you can increase the resistance by using a more powerful band, by stepping wider, and by moving slower.
Dana Taggart, a FITBODY online personal training client, demonstrates the X Band Walks exercise
