How To Do Lunges: Form, Variations and Muscles Worked

You may think of lunges as a simple toning exercise when compared to squats. But according to sports medicine physician Evan Peck, MD, that’s a common misconception. Lunges can actually be challenging for beginners.

“Lunges are difficult to perform because you’re basically doing a squat on one leg,” says Dr. Peck. “You have to attain a certain level of strength, coordination and proficiency to be able to perform a lunge, so I would start with basic two-legged exercises first.”

How to do a forward lunge

When doing a lunge for the first time, take it slow and really focus on your form.

1. Start by standing straight with your legs hip-width apart and your hands planted firmly on your hips or clasped together in front of you.
2. Keeping your back straight, step your left leg forward and sink into your hips until your front lunging knee is bent at 90 degrees and your back knee is flexed at 45 degrees.
3. Your front shin should be vertical and your front knee should be pushed outward, directly in line with your fourth and fifth (little) toe.
4. Hold this position for one to three seconds.
5. Slowly return to the starting upright position.
6. Repeat this process for two to three sets of eight to 12 reps for each leg.

Lunges muscles worked

Forward lunges strengthen your:

• Quadriceps
• Hamstrings
• Gluteal muscles (buttocks)
• Erector spinae (lower back muscles)
• Adductors (inner thigh muscles)

“When you’re doing a lunge correctly, you should feel stress in these muscles but you shouldn’t be feeling joint pain,” says Dr. Peck. “You should expect to feel some discomfort on either side of the spine because your lower back is really working hard to maintain an upright torso, but you shouldn’t have pain in the middle of your back.”

Lunges benefits

Lunge exercises help strengthen:

• Flexibility
• Balance
• Stability

“The leg you’re stepping out with is sort of on an island, so your other leg can’t save it,” illustrates Dr. Peck. “It forces you to control your knee and not let it cave in. By pushing it to the outside and holding that position, you’re exercising different muscles that help prevent imbalances.”

And like other primal movement workouts, lunge exercises have a direct impact on the way your body moves when doing other daily activities like climbing stairs or picking something up off the floor. Lunges also allow you to independently strengthen each leg. And that progressively builds off of the overall strength you gain when doing squats and other lower-body exercises.

Lunge variations

There are different kinds of lunge exercises. Reverse lunges are perhaps the easiest out of these variations to perform, with lateral lunges being the most difficult. Each comes with varying techniques, but no matter which lunge you perform, it’s always important to do them correctly to avoid injury. If you feel you need extra support, return to doing squats until you feel strong enough to return to lunges. You can also use a chair, countertop or a firm wall for extra support if you need it.

Reverse lunge

“With a reverse lunge, you’re stepping your foot back without putting weight on it,” explains Dr. Peck. “You just concentrate on going down and keeping your front knee over your ankle.”

1. Start by standing straight with your legs hip-width apart and your hands planted firmly on your hips or clasped together in front of you.
2. Step backward with one foot and lower your body until your front lunging knee is bent at 90 degrees and your back knee is flexed at 45 degrees.
3. Make sure you push your front knee outward, directly in line with your fourth and fifth (little) toe.
4. Hold this position for one to three seconds.
5. Slowly return to the starting upright position.
6. Repeat this process for two to three sets of eight to 12 reps for each leg.

Walking lunge

“Walking lunges are a little bit difficult because you’re doing a forward lunge over and over again, and after each step, you have to rebalance and recenter yourself,” says Dr. Peck.

1. Start by standing straight with your legs hip-width apart and your hands planted firmly on your hips or clasped together in front of you.
2. Step forward with one foot and lower your body into the forward lunge position.
3. Hold this position for one to three seconds.
4. Keeping your front foot where it’s at, step forward with your back foot until you’re standing in an upright position, feet hip-width apart.
5. Repeat this process for two to three sets of eight to 12 reps for each leg.

Lateral lunge

“When you step to the side, your upper body and your head will be facing forward,” says Dr. Peck. “Lateral lunges become a very different exercise because the leg that’s lunging is doing something very different than it does going forward or backward.”

1. Start by standing straight with your legs hip-width apart and your hands planted firmly on your hips or clasped together in front of you.
2. While keeping your back straight, your head facing forward and your left leg straight, take a large step out to the right side with your right leg so that the knee of your lunging leg is at a 90-degree angle.
3. Keeping your right shin vertical (so that your ankle isn’t stressed) push your lunging knee outward, directly in line with your fourth and fifth (little) toe. Your right thigh should be parallel to the floor.
4. Hold this position for one to three seconds.
5. Push off with your lunging leg to return to a standing upright position.
6. Repeat this process with your left leg, switching back and forth for two to three sets of eight to 12 reps for each leg.

Form tips

“Some of the most common mistakes with lunges are that people bend their torso too far forward, they load up with unnecessary heavy weight or they let their knees cave in, which puts their knees at risk of injury,” notes Dr. Peck.

These strategies can help make sure you do lunges the correct way:

• Never bend at your waist. Keep your chest and head up, looking straight ahead.
• Avoid taking too short or too long a stride by making sure your lunging knee never goes past your toes. Your lunging ankle should always be vertical, never tilted forward or to the side.
• Don’t add additional weights until you’re able to comfortably perform a full set of lunges without difficulty.
• Avoid caving your knee in by actively pushing your lunging knee outward so your knee, shin and ankle are all vertically aligned.
• If you feel joint pain, knee pain or lower back pain, stop the exercise and re-evaluate your form. If the pain continues, talk with a sports medicine physician or athletic trainer for guidance.
• If lunges prove too difficult, work on perfecting your squatting technique instead.

“Lunges are just one element of endurance-based strength training,” says Dr. Peck. “If you can include it into your exercise routine and you feel strong enough to attempt them, they can be a great addition to all the other exercises you’re doing to gain strength and build muscle.”