Lunge

1. 1

   Set the start

   Stand tall, feet hip-width apart, hands on the hips.^{2How To Do Lunges: Form, Variations and Muscles WorkedCleveland Clinic Health Essentials · 25 Apr 2025 · article quoting Evan Peck, MD; technique text r…}

2. 2

   Step forward

   Brace the trunk. Step forward, landing heel first, then settle the front foot on the floor without swaying sideways.^{1Forward LungeAmerican Council on Exercise · exercise library, no author or date · S-0113; technique text read}

3. 3

   Lower

   Lower comfortably towards a front thigh parallel to the floor. Keep the back flat; ACE allows a slight forward shin angle.^{1Forward LungeAmerican Council on Exercise · exercise library, no author or date · S-0113; technique text read}

   CueLower the hips.^{1Forward LungeAmerican Council on Exercise · exercise library, no author or date · S-0113; technique text read}

4. 4

   Keep the rear heel raised

   The rear heel stays off the floor. Keep the trunk controlled and avoid rounding the back or lifting the chin.^{5Strengthening your core: Right and wrong ways to do lunges, squats, and planksHarvard Health Publishing Staff · 2 Mar 2020 · lunge alignment section read}

5. 5

   Return

   Push through the front leg to stand again.^{1Forward LungeAmerican Council on Exercise · exercise library, no author or date · S-0113; technique text read}

Supported, stationary and reverse versions are practice options. The order records your current work; it does not impose a strength test or a repetition target.

• Knee falling inward

  Keep the front knee tracking with the foot instead of collapsing inward.^{2How To Do Lunges: Form, Variations and Muscles WorkedCleveland Clinic Health Essentials · 25 Apr 2025 · article quoting Evan Peck, MD; technique text r…}

• Driving forward instead of down

  Lower the hips rather than throwing them forward.^{1Forward LungeAmerican Council on Exercise · exercise library, no author or date · S-0113; technique text read}

• Rounding the back

  Keep the spine neutral. Harvard's stationary version uses an upright trunk.^{3Move of the month: Stationary lungeJulie Corliss · Harvard Health Publishing, 1 Jul 2023 · reviewed by Christopher P. Cannon, MD; tec…5Strengthening your core: Right and wrong ways to do lunges, squats, and planksHarvard Health Publishing Staff · 2 Mar 2020 · lunge alignment section read}

• Losing the split stance

  In the stationary version, keep the front foot planted and the rear heel raised as you bend and straighten the knees.^{3Move of the month: Stationary lungeJulie Corliss · Harvard Health Publishing, 1 Jul 2023 · reviewed by Christopher P. Cannon, MD; tec…}

• Adding weight before control

  Get comfortable with bodyweight lunges before adding load.^{2How To Do Lunges: Form, Variations and Muscles WorkedCleveland Clinic Health Essentials · 25 Apr 2025 · article quoting Evan Peck, MD; technique text r…}

• Walking lunge

  Bring the rear foot forwards to stand, then continue travelling with the next lunge.^{2How To Do Lunges: Form, Variations and Muscles WorkedCleveland Clinic Health Essentials · 25 Apr 2025 · article quoting Evan Peck, MD; technique text r…}

• Lateral lunge

  Stance

  Step sideways, sit the hips back and bend the stepping leg while the other stays straight.^{6Squat AlternativesNASM · coaching article; reverse and lateral lunge and Bulgarian split squat sections read}

• Bulgarian split squat

  Equipment

  Rest the rear foot on a bench and lower in the split stance, then press through the front foot to rise.^{6Squat AlternativesNASM · coaching article; reverse and lateral lunge and Bulgarian split squat sections read}

• Jumping lunge

  Switch legs in the air and land with bent knees. NASM describes this as an advanced option after static lunges and single-leg balance.^{7Lunge JumpNASM · exercise library, no author or date · technique and beginner FAQ read}

• Loaded reverse lunge

  Load

  Hold dumbbells at the sides while stepping backwards. First practise without weights.^{4Try this: Take a step backMatthew Solan · Harvard Health Publishing, 1 Jul 2023 · reviewed by Howard E. LeWine, MD; techniqu…}

Related skillsPistol SquatGlute Bridge

On Calisthenics Balkan

• Read about Fundamentals in LearnThe movement family this skill belongs to, and how it fits into calisthenics.
• Athletes with Lunge on their profileSkill labels on profiles are set by the athletes themselves and are not verified.
• All movements in the AtlasCalisthenics movements, one at a time: what they are, how they are done and the steps that lead to them.

What this page relies on. Titles and publishers are written as published.

The small numbers in the text point to the entries below.

1. 1Forward LungeAmerican Council on Exercise · exercise library, no author or date · S-0113; technique text read
2. 2How To Do Lunges: Form, Variations and Muscles WorkedCleveland Clinic Health Essentials · 25 Apr 2025 · article quoting Evan Peck, MD; technique text read
3. 3Move of the month: Stationary lungeJulie Corliss · Harvard Health Publishing, 1 Jul 2023 · reviewed by Christopher P. Cannon, MD; technique text read
4. 4Try this: Take a step backMatthew Solan · Harvard Health Publishing, 1 Jul 2023 · reviewed by Howard E. LeWine, MD; technique text read
5. 5Strengthening your core: Right and wrong ways to do lunges, squats, and planksHarvard Health Publishing Staff · 2 Mar 2020 · lunge alignment section read
6. 6Squat AlternativesNASM · coaching article; reverse and lateral lunge and Bulgarian split squat sections read
7. 7Lunge JumpNASM · exercise library, no author or date · technique and beginner FAQ read

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