A step up is what it sounds like: you step onto a box or stair with one leg, stand tall, then step back down. The leg you lead with does the lifting, mainly with the thigh and buttock. Because it is the same movement as climbing stairs, you will find it in a lot of knee, hip and ankle rehab programs.

How to do the step up

Stand facing a sturdy step or box and put your hands on your hips. Start low, about the height of a single stair.
Place one whole foot on the step, heel included.
Push down through that foot and straighten the leg to lift yourself up. Try not to push off with the foot that is still on the floor.
Bring the other foot up beside it and stand tall with both feet on the step, knees straight.
Step back down one foot at a time. Lower the first foot to the floor slowly, letting the leg still on the step control the way down, then bring the second foot down beside it.
Do all your reps leading with one leg, then switch sides.

What you should feel

The leg on the step does the work. You feel it in the front of that thigh and in the buttock.

Common mistakes

Pushing off hard with the back foot, so the leg on the step does little of the work.
The knee of the working leg falling inward as you rise.
Dropping onto the floor instead of lowering with control.
Choosing a step that is too high and leaning far forward to get up.

How often

Programs often start with 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 on each leg, using a step height you can control. Your physio will set the height and the numbers for you.

Stop and check with your physio if

You feel sharp pain in the knee or the knee gives way.
Pain at the front of the knee builds with each rep.
You feel dizzy, lightheaded, faint or sick, or the room seems to spin. Hold your support, sit down and get medical advice the same day before you practice again. If you faint, it does not settle within a few minutes of sitting still, your vision suddenly blurs or goes double, or you cannot stand or walk steadily, call emergency services.
You feel unsteady enough that you might fall. Stop and sit down.
Chest pain or pressure, dizziness or feeling faint, a racing or irregular heartbeat, or being far more out of breath than the effort should cause.

From the clinic

Step height matters more than people expect. Ten slow, steady reps on a low step do more for you than a wobbly climb onto a high box. Do it next to a wall or a stair rail so you can touch it for balance. If chest pain, pressure or tightness does not ease quickly when you rest, spreads to your arm, neck, jaw, stomach or back, or comes with sweating, feeling sick, feeling light-headed or being short of breath, call emergency services straight away, as this can be a heart attack. If it eases quickly and none of these happen, get medical advice the same day, and do not exercise again until you have been checked.

A mirror helps. Watch the working knee on the way up, and if it keeps drifting in toward the other knee, go back to a lower step for a while.

Reviewed by the PocketPhysio by VirtueLife expert physiotherapy team. Last reviewed 2026-09-25.

This page is general education, not a diagnosis or a personal treatment plan. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, see a physiotherapist or doctor before starting new exercises.

Step up