Reverse Lunge
Stand tall and take a long step back with one leg. Lower yourself with control until both knees are at roughly right angles, then drive back up through your front leg and bring your back foot forward again. Your front knee stays steady over your foot the whole time.
In the reverse lunge, one leg does the work: your front leg lowers you and drives you back up, with your glutes, quads and hamstrings working together. Your back leg supports you and helps you balance.
Because your front foot stays planted and you step backwards, it's easier to keep your front knee steady over your foot. That makes the exercise a good way into single-leg training — first with bodyweight, later with dumbbells.
Starting position
Stand tall with your feet about hip-width apart. Your weight is on the leg that stays put.
Take a long step back with the other leg and place that foot slightly out to the side, so your feet stay about hip-width apart, as if on two rails. That gives you a stable base. Let your upper body lean slightly forward.
Now brace your front leg: quads tight, hamstrings tight, foot gripping the floor. Then lower yourself slowly until both knees are at roughly right angles. Once you're in control at the bottom, lightly tap the floor with your back knee — or put a cushion or mat down as your end point. From there, drive slowly back up through your front leg and step your back foot forward to the start.
The three cues
- Front knee stays steady over your foot
- Step well back, both knees at about 90 degrees — slowly down, slowly up
- Brace your front leg and grip the floor with your foot
Common faults
| Fault | How to fix it |
|---|---|
| Your front knee drifts forwards and back | Brace everything in your front leg — quads and hamstrings — and grip the floor with your foot. That keeps your knee over your foot. |
| Your back foot lands right behind your front foot and you wobble | Place your back foot slightly out to the side, about hip-width. That gives you a stable base. |
| Your step back is too short | Step back far enough that both knees reach roughly right angles at the bottom. |
| You drop down or bounce up off the floor | Slowly down, slowly up. Using a cushion or mat as your end point helps you touch your back knee down with control. |
| You push up through your back leg | Keep your weight on your front leg. Your back leg is just there for balance. |
| Your technique gets shaky with dumbbells | Go lighter or drop back to bodyweight until your reps are clean again. |
Variations
| Variation | When to use it |
|---|---|
| With a knee target on the floor | Put a cushion or mat where your back knee lands. That gives you a clear end point: tap it briefly and come back up — until the way down feels secure. |
| Bodyweight | Step back and return with control, front knee steady over your foot — until you can do at least 15 clean reps per side. |
| With dumbbells | Only once you can do at least 15 clean bodyweight reps per side. Start with the lightest dumbbells available, work up through your rep range, then add weight step by step. |
Reps and load
Learn the reverse lunge with bodyweight first: controlled, slow, one side at a time. Add dumbbells once you can do at least 15 clean reps per side.
When you add weight, start light again, work up through your rep range, then progress in small steps. The exercise sits well alongside the step-up and the Bulgarian split squat.
Which muscles do the work
| Muscle | Role | What it does here |
|---|---|---|
| Glute max M. gluteus maximus | Prime mover | Extends your front hip and drives you back up to standing |
| Quads M. quadriceps femoris | Prime mover | Straighten your front knee as you stand up and control the descent |
| Hamstrings Mm. ischiocrurales | Synergist | Work with glute max to extend your front hip |
| Adductors Mm. adductores | Synergist | Assist hip extension and keep your leg tracking straight |
| Glute med M. gluteus medius | Stabiliser | Keeps your pelvis level and your front knee tracking over your foot |
| Spinal erectors M. erector spinae | Stabiliser | Keep your back long while your upper body leans slightly forward |
Your front leg does the work: glutes and quads bring you up, with hamstrings and adductors helping. Glute med keeps your pelvis and knee in line, and your spinal erectors hold your upper body steady.
Ways to do it — on video
The equipment changes, the movement pattern stays the same. What you learn on the cable applies to the band just as much — only the resistance differs.
BodyweightStandard
The standard: this is where you learn the step, the steady front knee and the controlled tempo.
With dumbbells
One dumbbell in each hand, arms hanging by your sides. The movement stays the same — only the load goes up. Add this once you can do at least 15 clean bodyweight reps per side.
Explained in full
Andreas demonstrates the bodyweight reverse lunge, explains the steady front knee and the end point on the floor, covers when to add dumbbells — and finishes with a view from behind showing where your back foot lands. · 2:17
Seeing it done right is not the same as doing it right
Video, cues and variations take you a long way. What they cannot give you is an outside eye at the moment the movement isn't quite there yet. That is what training with me is for — in the studio or in a workshop.
See the workshopsNew exercise pages are added all the time — the newsletter keeps you posted.
Sources
Comfort P, Jones PA, Smith LC, Herrington L. (2015). Joint kinetics and kinematics during common lower limb rehabilitation exercises. J Athl Train 50(10):1011–1018. DOI: 10.4085/1062-6050-50.9.05 — Measures joint angles and joint moments in 9 men (mean age 22) during the single-leg squat, forward lunge and reverse lunge with bodyweight. Knee and hip angles were similar in both lunges; the hip moment was higher in the forward lunge (P = .003), and the knee moment was higher in the single-leg squat than in the reverse lunge (P < .001). The authors place the reverse lunge early in the progression for the knee and ankle. The basis for presenting it as a way into single-leg training. A very small sample, young men only, no muscle measurements. There is no measurement specific to the Academy's target group (aged 40 to 60, training two to four hours a week). (Evidence type: Biomechanics)
Goulette D, Griffith P, Schiller M, Rutherford D, Kernozek TW. (2021). Patellofemoral joint loading during the forward and backward lunge. Phys Ther Sport 47:178–184. DOI: 10.1016/j.ptsp.2020.12.001 — Models patellofemoral joint loading in 20 pain-free women during forward and backward lunges (depth 75% of leg length, bodyweight). Quad force, joint force, loading rate and knee flexion were all greater in the forward lunge; in the backward lunge the upper body leaned further forward. The basis for the slight forward lean in the setup and for presenting the exercise as a knee-friendly way in. No figures in the abstract; young women without knee pain. There is no measurement specific to the Academy's target group (aged 40 to 60, training two to four hours a week). (Evidence type: Biomechanics)
Farrokhi S, Pollard CD, Souza RB, Chen YJ, Reischl S, Powers CM. (2008). Trunk position influences the kinematics, kinetics, and muscle activity of the lead lower extremity during the forward lunge exercise. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 38(7):403–409. DOI: 10.2519/jospt.2008.2634 — Compares the forward lunge with the upper body upright, leaning forward and leaning back in 10 healthy adults (mean age 26.7). With a forward lean, hip flexion, hip extensor work and glute max and hamstring activity all increased (P < .015). The basis for listing the glutes and hamstrings as hip extensors of the front leg. Forward lunge rather than reverse; a very small sample. (Evidence type: EMG)
Bezerra ES, Diefenthaeler F, Nunes JP, et al. (2021). Influence of trunk position during three lunge exercises on muscular activation in trained women. Int J Exerc Sci 14(1):202–210. DOI: 10.70252/IGJM9937 — Measures three lunge variations with an upright and an inclined upper body in 12 trained women (mean age 24, carrying an extra 30% of body weight). With the forward lean, spinal erector activity rose (20 ± 15 vs 40 ± 29% MVIC); glute max, hamstrings and rectus femoris did not change. The basis for the spinal erectors as a stabiliser in the table — and for this page not crediting the forward lean with extra glute work. (Evidence type: EMG)
Neto WK, Soares EG, Vieira TL, et al. (2020). Gluteus maximus activation during common strength and hypertrophy exercises: a systematic review. J Sports Sci Med 19(1):195–203. PubMed 32132843 — A systematic review of 16 EMG studies on glute max activation. The split squat, in-line lunge and traditional lunge were rated 'very high' (above 60% MVIC). The basis for listing glute max as a prime mover. Heterogeneous studies, mostly young adults. (Evidence type: Systematic review)
Mausehund L, Skard AE, Krosshaug T. (2019). Muscle activation in unilateral barbell exercises: implications for strength training and rehabilitation. J Strength Cond Res 33(Suppl 1):S85–S94. DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000002617 — Measures the split squat, single-leg squat and rear-foot-elevated split squat with a barbell (6–8RM) in 11 moderately strength-trained adults. Glute max and vastus lateralis were equally high in all three; glute med reached 46.2% MVIC in the split squat and biceps femoris 62.3%. The basis for the quads as a prime mover and glute med as a stabiliser. Barbell split squat rather than a reverse lunge; a small sample. (Evidence type: EMG)
Escamilla RF, et al. (2025). Effects of step length and stride variation during forward lunges on lower-extremity muscle activity. J Funct Morphol Kinesiol 10(1):42. DOI: 10.3390/jfmk10010042 — Measures leg muscle activity in 20 adults (aged about 26–27, 12RM) during forward lunges with a short and a long step. Quads, hamstrings, calves, adductors and glute max all worked harder with the long step. The basis for the adductors in the table and for the cue to step well back. Forward lunge; no percentages in the abstract. (Evidence type: EMG)
Hofmann CL, Holyoak DT, Juris PM. (2017). Trunk and shank position influences patellofemoral joint stress in the lead and trail limbs during the forward lunge exercise. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 47(1):31–40. DOI: 10.2519/jospt.2017.6336 — Models patellofemoral joint stress in both legs during the forward lunge in 18 healthy adults. A vertical front shin reduced stress at the front knee but raised it at the back knee; a forward lean combined with a forward shin gave the highest front-knee stress. The basis for the cue to keep your front knee steady over your foot — and for setting the back knee down with control. Forward lunge, young adults. (Evidence type: Biomechanics)
Lee J, Kim J. (2022). Effects of an 8-week lunge exercise on an unstable support surface on lower-extremity muscle function and balance in middle-aged women. Phys Act Nutr 26(4):14–21. DOI: 10.20463/pan.2022.0020 — A training study in 20 middle-aged women: eight weeks of lunge training, three times a week for 50 minutes, on a stable or unstable surface. Leg muscle mass and leg function improved in both groups (p < .05), and balance improved too. The only study close to the Academy's target group. A very small sample, no non-training control, the lunge type not described in the abstract, exact ages not given. (Evidence type: Intervention study)
A note on context: EMG studies show which muscles an exercise recruits — that is a good reason to pick it, but it does not replace adjusting things to the person in front of you. See a doctor for persistent or severe pain.