Reps Only exercise

Step-Down form, muscles worked, and workout tracking

The step-down is a single-leg exercise in which you stand on a box or step and lower the free foot toward the floor under control, loading the quadriceps and glutes of the stance leg. It is widely used in knee rehabilitation and as a strength-building drill because it trains eccentric control, knee tracking, and pelvic stability, exposing and correcting side-to-side weaknesses before they cause problems under heavier loads.

Step-Down illustration

How to do Step-Down

  1. 1Stand on a low box or step on one leg, with the free leg hanging off the edge and your hands out for balance.
  2. 2Brace your core and keep your hips level as you sit back slightly into the stance hip.
  3. 3Inhale and bend the stance knee to slowly lower the free heel toward the floor, taking two to three seconds on the way down.
  4. 4Keep the stance knee tracking over your toes; do not let it collapse inward or your pelvis drop on the free side.
  5. 5Lightly tap the floor with your heel, then exhale and press back up to full standing before repeating, finishing all reps on one side.

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Track Step-Down in Plates

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