Reverse lunge
Muscles worked : Quadriceps, glutes · Hamstrings
How to do it
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
- Step one leg back in a long stride, keeping the chest upright.
- Bend both knees until the back knee grazes the floor.
- Drive through the front heel to return to the start.
- Repeat on the other side.
Common mistakes
- The front knee travelling well past the toes.
- The chest tipping forward instead of staying upright.
- Too short a step: reduces the range and the work on the glutes.
Where you should feel it
Quadriceps and glute of the front leg, with a stretch across the front of the rear hip. Balance takes constant effort: that is normal, and it is part of the work.
Range of motion
Lower until the back knee grazes the floor without touching, front knee around 90°. Too short a step concentrates everything on the front knee; too long a step makes the return unstable.
Tempo and breathing
Two seconds down, one to two seconds up, with a brief pause at the bottom to remove any bounce. Exhale as you drive through the front heel.
What works, precisely
The quadriceps and gluteus maximus of the front leg do most of the work. The gluteus medius stabilises the pelvis in the frontal plane — that is what stops the knee falling inwards. The psoas of the rear leg is placed under stretch, and the abdominals keep the torso vertical.
Movement mechanics
A unilateral lunge combining hip and knee flexion-extension in the sagittal plane, with a strong frontal stabilisation demand. Stepping back rather than forward reduces strain on the front knee: your weight stays on the leg already in place instead of being braked by the leg travelling forward.
Benefits
- Works each leg separately, which reveals and corrects the asymmetries a squat hides.
- Heavily taxes balance and the hip stabilisers, essential for walking and stairs.
- The reverse version is markedly kinder to the knee than the forward lunge, which suits a sensitive knee better.
Adapt and progress
- Easier : Keep one hand on a wall or chair back, and reduce the depth.
- Harder : Go lower, slow down, or raise the front foot on a small step.
- Move on when : When ten repetitions per leg go by with no hand support and no knee falling inwards.
Precautions
The front knee must stay in line with the foot. If it consistently caves inwards, the gluteus medius lacks strength: work standing hip abduction alongside it.