Exercise Guide

Reverse Lunge

A lunge stepping backwards rather than forwards. Easier on the knees than a forward lunge and simpler to balance under load.

BeginnerStrengthPushCompound
Form
Reverse Lunge - Start position
Start
Reverse Lunge - Mid position
Mid
Reverse Lunge - End position
End

Illustrations by Bryl Lim for Workout Guide, after Everkinetic. Used unchanged under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Details

Primary Muscle

Quads

Equipment

Dumbbell

Difficulty

Beginner

Category

Strength

Force

Push

Mechanic

Compound

Secondary Muscles

GlutesHamstrings
How to Perform
  1. 1

    Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand at your sides.

  2. 2

    Step one foot back and lower until both knees are bent to roughly 90 degrees.

  3. 3

    Keep your torso upright and your front shin close to vertical.

  4. 4

    Drive through the front foot to step back to standing, then alternate.

Tips
  • ★Step back far enough that your front knee stays over your ankle.
  • ★Push through the front heel, not the back toe - the back leg is only there for balance.
Explore by Muscle
QuadsGlutesHamstrings