ExercisesPrimal / Animal Movement
Lateral Ape — Wider Lateral Steps: A Complete Guide
Quick Intro
Lateral Ape — Wider Lateral Steps is an animal-movement exercise performed from the same low squat-crawl position as the Lateral Ape, covering considerably more ground on each hand-and-foot cycle. The wider gap is the one change, and closing it takes a bigger, more committed jump and considerably more hip mobility.
Equipment Needed
No equipment is required. A yoga mat softens the landing under the hands on a hard floor, purely for comfort.
Why It Matters
A wider gap takes more hip mobility and quicker landing control than the shorter jump does. The inner thigh muscles (adductors) and the muscle on the outer hip (gluteus medius) drive the wider sideways travel, and the front of the shoulder cap (deltoid, anterior) bears weight through each hand reach. 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) power the bigger jump, a muscle along the side of the ribcage (serratus anterior) stabilizes the shoulder blade through each reach and a deep core muscle that wraps around the torso like a corset (transverse abdominis) braces the trunk through the landing.
When to Do It
This version works well once the base Lateral Ape’s jump feels controlled, as an agility and hip-mobility test inside a primal movement session. Two sessions a week, with attention paid to control over speed, suits most people adding this distance.
Anyone with a current hip, knee, ankle or wrist issue should still get individual guidance before starting, since the wider gap adds to an already demanding lateral jump.
Getting Ready
A few minutes of deep squat holds and lateral lunges open the hips before combining a low squat and a wider jump. A few slow, isolated reps confirms the landing feels stable before covering any distance.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. The setup. Sink into a low squat, hands planted on the floor between the feet.
2. The reach. Reach both hands further out to the side than in the standard Lateral Ape.
3. The jump. Jump the feet sideways to follow the hands, landing softly in the low squat.
4. The repeat. Reach the hands out again and continue the wider jumping pattern.
How Many, How Often
Lateral Ape — Wider Lateral Steps is dosed by distance, with each hand-and-foot cycle covering more ground than the standard one.
| Level | Where you’re at | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner | New to the wider gap | 3 sets of 6 to 8 feet, keeping the extra distance modest while landing control is learned |
| Intermediate | The wider jump feels stable and controlled | 3 to 4 sets of 10 to 15 feet |
| Advanced | Comfortable sustaining a wider gap over longer distances | 4 sets of 15 to 20 feet with a committed, wide jump on every rep |
Landing softly and staying low after each wider jump matters more here than how much extra distance gets covered, since a hard, uncontrolled landing is the clearest sign the gap has gotten wider than the hips can currently support.
Modifications and Variations
As the easier version, Lateral Ape covers a shorter distance per cycle, the version to return to if the wider gap starts breaking down the landing.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Landing with straight, stiff legs. Landing without absorbing through a bent knee sends the impact straight into the joints instead of the muscles built to handle it. Landing softly into the low squat on every rep protects the knees and ankles.
Reaching wider than the hips can cover. Extending the hands further than the jump can realistically close leaves the feet short and the landing unstable. Building the distance up gradually keeps the gap within what the hips can currently support.
Rushing the reach-and-jump sequence. Moving quickly through the pattern to cover ground skips the setup this version depends on for a controlled landing. A deliberate hand reach followed by a committed jump builds a cleaner, safer pattern.
After Your Set
Standing and rolling through a few hip circles releases the hips after a set of wider lateral jumping. A few gentle ankle circles and calf stretches finish easing the lower legs that absorbed each landing.
Going Deeper
This version is an agility and hip-mobility step up for anyone who already lands the Lateral Ape softly and consistently, since a wider gap demands a bigger, more committed jump and a softer landing to match. Reaching further feels like the obvious way to add difficulty, so it is easy to extend the gap faster than landing control can keep up with, which shows up as a harder, less controlled touch down. Growing the distance in small increments, only once the landing feels consistently soft, works better than jumping straight to a much wider gap.
Someone comfortable with the base pattern typically manages a modestly wider gap within a couple of sessions, then works toward a wide, confident jump over two to four weeks.
How to Know You’re Improving
- A landing that stays soft and controlled even as the gap widens
- Hips that stay low and stable through every jump
- A reach-and-jump sequence that feels deliberate rather than rushed
- A gap that keeps growing while the landing quality holds
A soft, controlled landing at the wider gap is what counts as progress, more than the distance alone.
Muscles Worked
- Adductors (the inner thigh muscles, hauling the trailing leg across the larger gap)
- Gluteus Medius (a smaller glute muscle at the side of the hip, pushing the lead leg out to open the wider stance)
- Anterior Deltoid (the front of the shoulder cap, holding the weight longer while the feet travel further)
- Biceps Femoris (a muscle at the back of the thigh, extending the hip to launch the bigger jump)
- Rectus Femoris (a front thigh muscle that crosses both the hip and knee, bending deeper to absorb a heavier landing)
- Serratus Anterior (a muscle along the side of the ribcage, keeping the shoulder blades flat across the longer reach)
- Transverse Abdominis (a deep core muscle that wraps around the torso like a corset, holding the midsection firm through a longer moment of flight)
FAQ
Is this the same movement as Lateral Ape, just further? Yes, it uses the identical low squat-crawl jump as Lateral Ape. The only change is covering more ground on each cycle, which asks for a bigger, more committed jump and considerably more hip mobility.
Why does a wider gap add so much difficulty? Covering more distance per cycle demands more hip abduction and a longer airborne phase, both of which raise the landing-control demand well beyond the shorter jump.
When is it time to widen the gap? Once the standard jump lands softly and consistently over a full set, gradually widening the gap here is a reasonable next step.
Is some hip or ankle fatigue after this exercise normal? Yes, fatigue through the hips, ankles and shoulders after a set of wider jumping is expected. A sharp pain in the hip, knee or ankle is different and worth having a doctor or physical therapist look at.
How often should the wider-step version be trained? Two sessions a week, with attention paid to landing control above all else, suits most people well given the added distance demand.
Related to Lateral Ape, the easier version covering a shorter distance per cycle.