Step-up

Cómo hacer el Step-up

1. 1Stand facing a sturdy raised surface — a box, bench, or step — that places your knee at roughly a 90-degree angle when your foot is on top.
2. 2Place your entire right foot flat on the surface, ensuring your heel is fully supported and not hanging off the edge.
3. 3Brace your core and keep your torso upright as you drive through your right heel to push your body up onto the surface.
4. 4Bring your left foot up to stand fully on the surface, with both feet hip-width apart and hips fully extended at the top.
5. 5Pause briefly at the top with your glutes squeezed and your body in a tall, neutral position.
6. 6Hinge slightly at the hip and lower your left foot back to the floor in a slow, controlled manner.
7. 7Return your right foot to the floor to complete one rep, then repeat for the target number of reps before switching legs.

Consejos de técnica

• Drive through the heel of the working leg rather than pushing off the floor with your trailing foot — this keeps the load on the glutes and quads.
• Keep your knee tracking directly over your second and third toe throughout the movement to avoid inward collapse.
• Maintain a tall, upright torso; avoid leaning excessively forward, which shifts stress away from the glutes.
• Lower yourself with control on every rep — the eccentric phase is just as important for building strength as the push-up.
• Choose a step height that allows full hip extension at the top without hiking your hip or twisting your pelvis.

Errores comunes

• Pushing off the back foot: Using the trailing leg to spring up reduces the load on the working glute and quad, undermining the unilateral benefit of the exercise.
• Letting the knee cave inward: Valgus collapse at the knee places excessive stress on the joint and indicates weak hip abductors or poor motor control.
• Step too low or too high: A step that is too low provides insufficient range of motion for glute engagement; one that is too high forces pelvic tilt and lower-back compensation.
• Rushing the descent: Dropping back to the floor quickly skips the eccentric phase, reducing muscle development and increasing injury risk at the knee and hip.
• Leaning heavily forward: Excessive trunk lean shifts work from the glutes to the lower back and reduces quad engagement at the top of the movement.

Preguntas frecuentes