ExercisesPrimal / Animal Movement
Lateral Ape: A Complete Guide
Quick Intro
The Lateral Ape is an animal-movement exercise performed from a deep squat with both hands on the floor, moving both hands to one side and then swinging both feet off the floor in a small jump to follow, landing in a squat with weight fully transferred. It is the sideways counterpart of the Ape Walk, a side-to-side (frontal-plane) pattern found in capoeira and natural-movement training.
Equipment Needed
No equipment is required. A yoga mat under the hands makes a hard floor kinder to the palms but is not needed.
Why It Matters
The sideways bound depends on timing between the hands, the jump and the landing. The inner thigh muscles (adductors) and the muscle on the outer hip (gluteus medius) control the sideways step and stabilize the landing, and a muscle at the back of the thigh (hamstrings, biceps femoris) and a front thigh muscle that crosses both the hip and knee (quadriceps, rectus femoris) absorb the landing in the deep squat. The front of the shoulder cap (deltoid, anterior) and a muscle along the side of the ribcage (serratus anterior) bear weight through the hand reach, and a deep core muscle that wraps around the torso like a corset (transverse abdominis) keeps the trunk stable through the jump.
When to Do It
The Lateral Ape works well as a frontal-plane coordination drill inside a primal movement session, once a standard forward crawling pattern already feels comfortable. Two or three sessions a week, with rest days for the hips between them, suits most people building this pattern.
Anyone with a current hip, knee or wrist issue should get individual guidance before starting, since the sideways jump and landing both load all three.
Getting Ready
A few minutes of lateral lunges and deep squat holds open the hips for sideways travel before adding the jump. A few isolated side steps without the jump previews the hand-then-feet sequence before adding the swing.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. The setup. Squat deeply with both hands on the floor.
2. The hand reach. Move both hands to one side, leading with the direction of travel.
3. The jump. Swing both feet off the floor in a small jump to follow the hands.
4. The land. Land in a squat with weight fully transferred to that side, then repeat toward the other direction.
How Many, How Often
The Lateral Ape is dosed by reps, with each sideways hand-and-jump sequence counting as one rep.
| Level | Where you’re at | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner | New to the sideways hand-then-jump pattern | 3 sets of 4 to 6 reps per side, keeping the jump small and controlled |
| Intermediate | The landing feels stable with weight fully transferred | 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 8 reps per side |
| Advanced | Comfortable with a quick, controlled sideways bound | 4 sets of 8 to 10 reps per side, or move to the wider-step version below |
Landing with weight fully transferred to the new side matters more here than how many reps get done, since a landing that stays split between both sides skips the weight-shift challenge this pattern is built around.
Modifications and Variations
As the easier version, Lateral Ape — Step (No Jump) replaces the jump with a controlled step, removing the airborne phase while the sideways hand-and-foot sequence is learned.
As the harder version, Lateral Ape — Wider Lateral Steps increases the distance covered on each rep, asking for more hip mobility and a bigger jump.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Rising out of the squat between reps. Standing taller between each sideways bound relieves the deep squat position this pattern depends on. Keeping the hips low throughout, not only during the jump, keeps the legs loaded.
Landing with weight still split between both sides. Failing to fully commit weight to the new side after the jump leaves the landing unstable and skips the transfer challenge. Deliberately shifting weight fully onto the landing side on each rep builds control.
Rushing the hand placement before the jump. Moving both hands to the side quickly without control skips the setup this pattern depends on for a clean jump. A deliberate, controlled hand reach sets up a more stable landing.
After Your Set
A minute or two in a relaxed deep squat hold, letting the hips open under their own weight, unwinds them after a set of sideways bounding. Shifting weight slowly from one bent leg to the other in a wide stance finishes loosening the groin and inner thighs.
Going Deeper
The Lateral Ape is a coordination step up for anyone already comfortable with forward crawling patterns like the Ape Walk, since moving sideways changes the plane of motion and demands a different kind of hip and landing control. The sideways jump is unfamiliar to most people, so it is common to land with weight still split between both sides, which removes the weight-transfer benefit this pattern is meant to build. Slowing the pace down and deliberately checking that weight has shifted fully after each landing tends to fix this faster than simply doing more reps.
Someone new to this pattern typically manages a slow, controlled step-and-land sequence within the first few sessions, then works toward a small jump with full weight transfer over two to four weeks.
How to Know You’re Improving
- A landing where weight is fully committed to the new side, not split between both
- A squat depth that stays low and consistent throughout, not rising between reps
- A hand reach that stays deliberate and controlled before every jump
- Comfort moving in either direction with the same clean pattern
Full weight transfer on landing is what to watch for as progress, more than the rep count.
Muscles Worked
- Adductors (the inner thigh muscles, pulling the trailing leg across to close the gap)
- Gluteus Medius (a smaller glute muscle at the side of the hip, pushing the body sideways off the lead leg)
- Anterior Deltoid (the front of the shoulder cap, taking the body’s weight while both feet are off the floor)
- Biceps Femoris (a muscle at the back of the thigh, slowing the hips as they drop back into the squat)
- Rectus Femoris (a front thigh muscle that crosses both the hip and knee, catching the landing and holding the deep squat)
- Serratus Anterior (a muscle along the side of the ribcage, keeping the shoulder blades flat while the arms carry the load)
- Transverse Abdominis (a deep core muscle that wraps around the torso like a corset, holding the trunk firm through the brief flight)
FAQ
Is the Lateral Ape the same as the Ape Walk? No. Both start from a deep squat with the hands on the floor, but the Ape Walk travels forward with the hands reaching ahead of the body, while the Lateral Ape moves sideways, with both hands shifting to one side before a small jump brings the feet along.
Why does this feel so much harder to control than a forward crawl? Moving sideways asks the hips and legs to produce force and absorb landing in a plane most crawling patterns never use, which is a different coordination demand from the mostly straight-ahead motion of a forward-traveling crawl.
What’s the difference between this and Lateral Ape — Step (No Jump)? Lateral Ape — Step (No Jump) replaces the airborne jump with a controlled step, removing the timing demand of the jump while the sideways hand-and-foot sequence is learned.
Should the hips and wrists feel worked afterward? Yes, a light fatigue through both after several sets is a normal response to the sideways landing. Sharp pain in the hip or knee is a different matter and worth a doctor or physical therapist’s opinion.
How often should the Lateral Ape be trained? A couple of sessions a week suits most people well, often paired with forward crawling patterns in the same session.
Related to Lateral Ape — Step (No Jump) as the easier version and Lateral Ape — Wider Lateral Steps as the harder one.