Lunges are some of the first moves you learn when you work out. While you may be aware of the basic lunge movements, have you paid attention to your stance while doing them? Read this article to discover how to properly incorporate lunges into your workout, along with the different variations you can try.
What Are Lunges?
Lunges are a versatile exercise that can be performed almost anywhere.1 Most lunges don't require any equipment, although you can use weights or medicine balls if you have advanced fitness levels.
Lunges have been linked to multiple benefits, such as improving lower body strength, promoting hip balance and flexibility, and boosting muscle growth.2,3 Lunges may also help decrease muscle imbalances within your body because the exercise entails concentrating movement on only one side.4
What Muscles Do Lunges Work?
Lunges mainly work your lower body muscles, such as your thighs, hip external rotators (hamstrings and glutes) and knee extensors.5 They also work on your core muscles and legs, giving you better support.6
How to Do Lunges
The lunge variation people are usually familiar with is the stationary forward move. Here's how to do this variation properly:7
1. Stand with feet hip-width apart.
2. With your right foot, take a large step forward and slowly lower your body, until your body is at a 90-degree angle. Your back and upper body should be straight, and your right thigh needs to be parallel to the floor.
3. Slowly raise yourself up to starting position. Once done with a set, do lunges with your left leg.
![basic forward lunges]()
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Your form is crucial when doing lunges. Keep these pointers in mind so the different areas of your body are properly positioned, allowing lunges to provide more impact:8,9
• Straighten your upper body, relax your shoulders and keep them back, and engage core muscles.
• Check your shoulders and hips to make sure they remain even, and ensure your back is in a neutral position.
• Slightly move your chin upward and make sure it's parallel to the floor.
• Bend your back knee so there's a straight line passing your shoulders, hips and knees.
• Ensure that your forward leg and ankle are aligned, and elevate your rear leg's heel off the floor.
Lunges vs. Squats: What's the Difference?
Lunges and squats are somewhat similar because they entail using your body weight, although you're allowed to use weights and other equipment if your fitness level enables you to do so. Squats target the glutes, quadriceps, calves, core muscles, hamstrings and adductor magnus.10
However, the different moves may not have an identical effect, even if they work on similar locations. Unlike squats, lunges may assist with enhanced growth of your glutes and hamstrings because they deliver increased range of motion.11
Types of Lunges
Aside from the basic forward lunge, there are other bodyweight lunges you can incorporate into your workouts, such as:
Reverse Lunges12
1. Stand straight with feet together.
2. Using your right foot, step back and slowly lower your body, so your left knee forms a 90-degree angle. Make sure your left thigh is parallel to the floor.
3. Gradually raise your body back to starting position, and repeat on the other side.
![reverse lunges]()
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Side Lunges13
1. Stand straight with feet together and hands on your chest.
2. Make a large step to your right and lower into a lunge. Sink your hips back and bend your right knee so it's aligned with your right foot. Straighten (but don't lock) your left leg and point both feet forward.
3. Straighten your right leg by moving your right foot. Place it next to your left foot and move back to starting position.
![side lunges]()
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Curtsy Lunges14
1. Stand with hands on your hips and feet hip-width apart.
2. Using your left foot, take a giant step backward diagonally. Cross your left foot behind your right.
3. Bend your knees until your left lower leg is almost parallel to the ground. Your torso should be straight.
4. Return to starting position, switch sides and repeat the move.
![curtsy lunges]()
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Walking Lunges15
1. Stand with feet together and ensure that your spine is straight. Place hands on your hips or use them to balance yourself.
2. Using your right foot, take a large step forward.
3. Land on your right heel and slowly lower yourself toward the ground. Try bending both legs, and ensure that your knees are set at a 90-degree angle. Stop lowering yourself once your left knee is just a bit above the ground.
4. Press onto your right heel to move yourself up and step forward using your right leg. Bring both legs together.
5. Take another large step forward using your left foot and repeat the move.
![walking lunges]()
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Skater Lunges16
1. Start in a small squat, your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Jump sideways to the right. Your right foot should land on the floor, your leg bent. Bring your left leg behind your right ankle, but don't let your left foot touch the floor.
3. Do it on the other side by jumping to the left and landing on your left foot. This completes one rep.
![skater lunges]()
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Deep Lunges17
1. Perform a lunge. Extend your back leg so your knee remains above the ground.
2. Straighten your torso and move your hips forward to further your stretch. Once you're in this position, you can do shoulder circles and torso rotations.
Split Lunges18
1. Perform a lunge, with the right knee bent at a 90-degree angle. Extend your left leg backward and keep it slightly bent.
2. Hop to switch positions. Land on your left leg and perform a lunge.
3. Continue by alternately moving with both legs.
![split lunges]()
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Jumping Lunges19
(you can consider this a more intense variation of split lunges)
1. Stand in a lunge position. Your left leg should be forward, while the other leg is positioned backward. Both knees should be at 90 degrees.
2. Jump and switch your legs in midair. Your right leg should be forward and your left, backward.
3. Jump and repeat multiple times with only minimal pauses in between lunges.
![jumping lunges]()
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Static Lunges20
1. Stand straight and perform a lunge. Make sure you have a split stance when doing it, and keep knees bent at a 90-degree angle. Ensure that the bulk of the load is placed on the forward leg's foot, and that it's stable and flat against the floor at all times.
2. With your trailing leg as a stabilizer, move body upward using the heel of the forward leg. Stay on the balls of your feet while your trailing leg is trying to move back up.
![static lunges]()
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Lunge Twists21
1. Stand straight with hands behind your ears.
2. Move your left leg forward. Do a lunge and make sure your legs form two right angles.
3. Once your body reaches the floor, twist your torso to the left as far as you can. Hold this for one second.
4. Move up to return to neutral and starting positions.
![lunges twist]()
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Reverse Lunge Kicks22
1. Stand straight and tighten your abs.
2. Using your right foot, step backward and do a reverse lunge. While pushing down on your left heel, squeeze your glutes.
3. Kick your right leg in front of you, and straighten your left leg. After one set, perform this using your other leg.
If you can comfortably do lunges with weights or gym equipment, these variations may be good for you:
![reverse lunge kicks]()
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Dumbbell Lunges23
(provided you can finish your workouts once you use them)
1. Stand up straight, hold a dumbbell in each hand and place your arms at your sides. Your feet must be a bit less than shoulder-width apart, and your palms should face your thighs.
2. Make a big step forward using one leg. Bend at the knee, all while inhaling, until the front thigh is parallel to ground, and you land on your heel. Avoid letting your knee go beyond the toes. Keep your knee behind, well-bent and well-balanced on the toes.
3. While exhaling, move back to starting position and repeat the move with the other leg.
![dumbbell lunges]()
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Lateral Lunges24
1. Stand straight and hold a dumbbell in each hand. Ensure your feet are hip-width apart, and allow the palms to face each other.
2. Move to the right. Your feet must be parallel to each other.
3. Use your hands to try to reach your right foot, while pushing back your right hip.
4. Stand up by pushing your right foot to the floor. Use the inside of your left leg to ensure your body is centered once more.
![lateral lunges]()
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Rotating Medicine Ball Lunges25
1. Stand straight and hold the medicine ball above your head using both hands.
2. Take a big step forward. Bend your knees until the knee behind is at a 90-degree angle.
3. Once you get into the lunge, move your torso in the direction of the leading leg.
4. Return to starting position and repeat on the other side.
![rotating medicine ball lunges]()
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Overhead Barbell Lunges26
(refrain from performing this if you have tight shoulders or shoulder-related problems)
1. Hold a barbell above your head with two hands.
2. Position yourself in a lunge.
![overhead barbell lunge]()
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Smith Machine Lunges27
1. On the Smith machine, put a barbell across your shoulders behind your neck.
2. With your legs shoulder-width apart, use one leg to move forward and lunge. Keep the other leg back.
3. Move your body down while keeping your back erect. Your rear leg's knee should almost touch the floor.
4. Stretch the forward leg's hip and knee and move back into a standing position. Repeat this move with the other leg.
Bulgarian Lunges (Also known as Bulgarian split squats)28
1. Look for a step, bench or surface as tall as your knee you can place your foot on it.
2. With your torso upright, core muscles stabilized and hips square to your body, do a forward lunge and keep your back foot on the step, bench or surface. The leading leg must be around half a meter (about 19.6 inches) before the bench.
3. Move body down until front thigh is almost "horizontal" and ensure that the knee is aligned to your foot. Avoid extending the front knee beyond your toes.
4. Exert force through your front heel to return to starting position.
![Bulgarian lunges]()
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1. Stand straight and move your right leg forward with your left leg at the back. Place a resistance band under your right leg.
2. Do a lunge until your knees are at a 90-degree angle and are behind your toes. Bend your elbows to increase tension on the bands. Once done, return to starting position.
![resistance band lunges]()
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How Many Lunges Should You Do Daily?
There are multiple recommendations regarding the daily "requirement" for lunges. I suggest doing 30 lunges per day, since they can be done almost anywhere and any time you're moving. I like doing lunges while walking from my office to the kitchen.
While heeding these suggestions, it's important to listen to your body and take note of your personal fitness levels. Talk to a physical trainer or coach who can analyze your form and help you determine the ideal number of lunges you need to do without feeling fatigued.
Lunges for Beginners
Performing lunges is challenging for beginners, but there are ways you can ease yourself into doing them more, and with greater variation as you gain strength. Walking or static lunges are a couple of ideal variations to start with. Make sure you focus on the quality of each repetition.30
Try performing three sets of 10 reps per leg, and consider doing more reps and sets or using dumbbells or medicine balls to do weighted lunges once you can do this initial number with ease.31 If you're a beginner, remember these pointers:32
• Lower your legs to the ground so your muscles and hips are engaged — The knee you're bending must remain at a 90-degree angle and be above your heel. The other knee must be stable and at least 1 inch above the floor.
• Widen your posture when performing lunges — Your knees and tendons may be stressed if your stance is too narrow. Performing a few stationary lunges in front of a mirror can help you gauge how wide apart your feet should be. You can move on to doing additional front or rear lunges to figure out the correct stance you should be doing.
You may feel pain or have shaky or sore legs after doing multiple lunges, but this is normal for beginners. Rest for one to two days after your exercise so your muscles can recuperate.
Remember These Safety Tips When Doing Lunges
One wrong move can increase your risk for injury, so be sure to refrain from slouching forward, curving your back and lifting your head, or bending your knees improperly.33 These tips may make a difference in reducing your risk for lunge-related injuries:34
• Refrain from adding weight on your toes, since this can increase stress on your knee tendons. Additionally, avoid putting weight on your back leg, as this could stress your knees, overload your quadriceps muscles and inhibit full activation of your hamstrings and glutes. To remedy these problems, focus your weight on your heels.
• Don't tilt your torso forward since it prevents full extension of hip flexor muscles, indicates weak glute muscles and increases stress in the spine, especially once weight is added. Keep your torso upright so it aids in protecting your spine. Ample warmups and stretching, especially on the hip flexors, is key in preventing this.
Should your knees ache, alleviate them by taking smaller steps or performing reverse lunges. According to Tim Rich, a personal training manager at Crunch gym: "Reducing the range of motion will still develop good strength and alignment." Once the pain is gone, you can perform more lunges over a particular distance.35
Adding Lunges to Your Repertoire May Deliver Positive Impacts
Performing exercises that focus on multiple lower leg muscles, such as lunges, can be painful at first, but powering through can be valuable in the future. Lunges not only can provide multiple benefits, but they can be done by people of all fitness levels, given the variations available. Truly, they're a valuable move you can include in your fitness arsenal.
If you want added guidelines when doing lunges, seek the help of a coach or physical trainer. They can give you instructions on how to improve your lunges and help you address common exercise mistakes.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Lunges
Q: What type of exercise are lunges?
A: Because lunges are performed on one leg, they can be considered unilateral exercises.36
Q: Which leg is working during a lunge?
A: It depends on the lunges you're performing. If you're doing forward lunges or a modification of them, much of the strength is concentrated on the leg that's stepping out. With reverse lunges, however, the power is located on the leg that doesn't move backward.37
Q: Why are lunges so painful?
A: If you're a beginner, you may feel pain after doing lunges. It's normal and can be remedied by giving yourself enough time to rest. However, if you've already been doing lunges for a considerable period but notice discomfort, it may be because of muscle imbalance or improper form or technique.38
Q: Do lunges burn fat?
A: Lunges work on large muscle groups that would require increased amounts of body fuel, and this may eventually assist with burning fat.39
Q: Can you do lunges every day?
A: You can do lunges at any time of the day and almost anywhere. I recommend doing 30 lunges a day, but this number can vary depending on your fitness level.
Q: Do lunges hurt your back?
A: If you don't pay attention to your posture, you may encounter back pain.40 To reduce your risk for this problem, ensure that your back is in a neutral position and refrain from curving it when doing the move.41
Q: Can lunges cause hip pain?
A: They can, particularly if you're always pushing your knee over your big toe. Continuously committing this mistake may cause inflammation in your hips because lunges may stress that area and lead to pinching inside the joint.42
Q: Are lunges bad for your knees?
A: No. Lunges may actually assist in working your knee muscles. They can only be detrimental for your knees if you don't follow the proper form, fail to bend your knees properly when moving downward or if you constantly add weight on your back leg or your toes.43