Lunges: How to Do Them, Muscles Worked and Variations

The lunge is one of the most useful lower-body exercises there is. You step into a split stance, lower until both knees are bent, then drive back up. Because you work one leg at a time, lunges build strength and muscle while exposing and fixing the left to right differences that two-legged moves like the squat can hide. They also train balance, coordination and the muscles that stabilise your hips and knees, which carries straight over to walking, running and sport. Here is how to do lunges properly, the muscles they work, and the best variations to progress with.

How to do a lunge

Start with just your bodyweight and add load once the movement feels solid. The steps below describe a reverse lunge, the easiest version to learn.

1. Stand tall. Feet hip-width apart, chest up, core braced. Hold your hands on your hips or in front of your chest for balance.
2. Step back. Take a controlled step backwards with one foot, landing on the ball of that back foot. Keep most of your weight on your front leg.
3. Lower down. Bend both knees and lower until your back knee is just above the floor and your front thigh is roughly parallel to the ground. Your front shin should stay fairly upright.
4. Check your knee. Your front knee should track in line with your toes, not cave inward. Keep your torso tall and only leaning forward slightly from the hips.
5. Drive up. Push through your front foot, mid-foot and heel, to stand back up and bring your back foot forward to the start. Repeat, then swap legs.

Muscles worked

The lunge is a single-leg exercise, so the working leg does a lot and your whole body helps you balance.

• Quadriceps. The front-leg quads straighten your knee to drive you back up and control the descent, making them a primary mover.
• Glutes. Your glute max extends the hip out of the bottom of the lunge, and single-leg work is a reliable way to load it. A systematic review of exercises found lunges among the strong activators of the gluteus maximus (gluteus maximus activation review).
• Hamstrings and adductors. Your hamstrings assist hip extension while your inner-thigh adductors work hard to stabilise the leg and control the split stance.
• Calves. The calf of the front leg helps balance and contributes to the drive up.
• Core and hip stabilisers. Balancing on one leg forces your abs, lower back and the small muscles around your hip to keep you upright and stop you tipping sideways.

To make lunges harder as you get stronger, hold a pair of adjustable dumbbells or a kettlebell by your sides, which is the simplest way to add load at home.

Benefits

• They fix left to right imbalances. Training each leg on its own stops your stronger side taking over, which evens out strength and muscle between your legs over time.
• They build athletic strength and balance. The single-leg, split-stance pattern mirrors running, climbing stairs and changing direction, so lunges carry over to real movement better than most machine exercises.
• They are joint-friendly and scalable. With no bar on your back and light or no weight to start, lunges are easy to learn and gentle to progress. The NHS recommends muscle-strengthening work for all major muscle groups on at least two days a week, and lunges cover the legs and hips efficiently.
• They need almost no kit. Bodyweight lunges need nothing but a bit of floor space, and a single pair of dumbbells takes them a long way, which makes them ideal for home training.
• They strengthen your core. The constant balance demand means your trunk works throughout, so you build core stability alongside leg strength.

Common mistakes

Front knee caving inward. Letting the knee drift toward the midline stresses the joint and wastes power. Actively push your front knee out in line with your toes.

Steps that are too short. A short step forces your front knee far past your toes and puts everything on the joint. Take a slightly longer step so your front shin can stay more upright.

Leaning too far forward. Folding your torso over your front leg turns the lunge into a good morning and loads your lower back. Keep your chest tall, hinging only slightly from the hips.

Rushing the reps. Dropping down fast and bouncing out of the bottom removes control and risks the knee. Lower under control and drive up smoothly.

Skipping the weaker side. Doing more or better reps on your stronger leg entrenches the imbalance lunges are supposed to fix. Match your reps and effort on both legs.

Variations

• Reverse lunge. Step backwards instead of forwards. Easier to balance and gentler on the front knee, this is the best beginner and everyday option.
• Forward lunge. Step forwards and lower. More balance and braking demand on the front leg, and the version most people picture when they hear "lunge".
• Walking lunge. Lunge forward and travel across the room, alternating legs. Adds an athletic, moving element and extra balance work. Great in a circuit.
• Bulgarian split squat. Rest your back foot on a weight bench behind you and lunge down. Loading the front leg heavily makes this a brutal glute and quad builder. See our Bulgarian split squat guide for the full breakdown.
• Lateral lunge. Step out to the side and sit into that hip. This trains the adductors and works your legs in a sideways plane most exercises ignore.
• Weighted lunge. Hold dumbbells at your sides, or a single one in the goblet position, to add resistance once bodyweight lunges become easy.

Sets and reps

A simple plan that works for most people:

• Strength and muscle: 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps per leg, 2 to 3 times a week. Rest 60 to 90 seconds.
• Endurance or circuits: 2 to 3 sets of 15 to 20 reps per leg with light or no weight, rest 30 to 45 seconds.
• Learning the move: 3 sets of 8 slow reverse lunges per leg, holding something for balance, focusing on control and knee position.

Add weight or reps once you can complete every set on both legs with clean, balanced form. Because lunges challenge balance, it is normal for the movement to feel smoother after a couple of weeks of practice even before you add load.

Recommended reads

1. The best adjustable dumbbells in the UK
2. The best kettlebells in the UK
3. Bulgarian split squat: how to do it
4. Goblet squat: how to do it