We’ve got an old-school favorite to highlight this week, which is one of those classic movements that looks easy but tends to humble everyone in practice.
We’re talking about the step-up.
At SSP, we love this deceptively simple movement for a bunch of reasons:
✅ It builds great quad and glute strength
✅ It challenges balance and single-leg stability
✅ It scales easily depending on your abilities and starting point and is a great exercise for both those rehabbing from an injury as well as competitive athletes
✅ And it’s one of the best bang-for-your-buck moves for hikers, runners, and just about everyone looking to move better
You’ll see step-ups programmed consistently at SSP. But here’s the thing: step-ups are also really easy to mess up.
A super common mistake?
Letting the back leg do most of the work. It’s easy to unknowingly launch off the bottom leg, especially when the box is too high or when you’re just trying to get through the reps.
So how do you make sure you’re getting the most out of it?
We made a quick video breaking down a smart coaching cue that keeps the focus exactly where it should be: driving through the top leg and making every rep count.
👉 Watch this video from Coach Natalie Whether you’re training for your next trail race, rehabbing an injury, or just working on stability and building strength that helps you feel great in your body, we’re big believers that this movement deserves a permanent place in your program… coached right of course 😉