Step over the hurdle and open those hips up high.
Lift the knee high and lead with the hip. Don't swing the leg around the hurdle.
Stepping laterally over a hurdle forces the hip to lift the knee high and carry the leg out and over, which is the abductors' territory: the muscles on the outside of the hip that move the leg away from the midline and keep the pelvis level while you balance on one foot. Each rep is a single-leg stability moment stacked on a mobility demand. It earns its place in warm-ups and hip-health work, waking up the lateral hip muscles that squats and deadlifts mostly ignore.
Anything with a bit of height: a foam roller, a stack of books, even an imaginary line. The hurdle is just a target that forces an honest knee lift. Height matters less than stepping over it with control rather than swinging around it.
At the start of lower-body sessions or as part of a daily mobility routine. They prep the hips for squatting and lunging, and they double as a balance drill. A couple of sets each direction is plenty.
Leaning lets your torso cheat the work your hip should be doing. Standing tall forces the knee to lift high and the outside of the hip to control the step, which is the whole point of the drill.
