Lunges: types, form and how to program them

Lunges are the exercise everybody has done and almost nobody has programmed. They turn up at the end of a session as "walking lunges until you hate it", get done for a month, and disappear. Which is a shame, because the lunge exercise is one of the few lifts that trains one leg at a time while you actually move, and moving on one leg is what runners do for a living.

This is the whole lunges exercise family: the main types, how to do each one well, walking lunges form, how to load them, and how to fit them around your runs. Program them yourself or use an app like Fitbod that also programs running. Either way, the form is on you.

What lunges are (and why runners should do them)

A lunge is a single-leg squat where you step into the position instead of starting in it. You step forward, backward or sideways, lower until both knees bend to roughly 90 degrees, then push back to the start or through to the next step.

That step is the point. Every rep has a landing and a push-off, so lunges train deceleration, balance and single-leg strength together. That's why they belong in strength sessions for runners, and why Hyrox put them in the race.

Lunges are part of the same family as split squats and Bulgarian split squats. The split squat is the static version, feet stay put. The Bulgarian adds a bench under the back foot. For the full family tree and where each one fits, start with this breakdown of bulgarian split squat, the hub for all of it.

Lunges muscles worked

• ›Quadriceps (front leg): control the descent and drive you back up.
• ›Glutes and hamstrings (front leg): extend the hip. More so with a longer step or a forward lean.
• ›Adductors: work as hip extensors at the bottom and as stabilizers throughout.
• ›Calves: push off on walking lunges, stabilize on all of them.
• ›Trunk and hip stabilizers: keep the pelvis level and the torso from twisting.

Lunges are more of a hip exercise than most people think. A biomechanical analysis of the forward lunge in 16 recreationally active adults found the knee moved through the most range, but the hip extensors did the most work. Adding load increased the work at the hip and ankle, with little change at the knee.

Torso position changes the emphasis too. In a study on trunk position during the forward lunge, leaning the trunk forward increased hip extensor effort and gluteus maximus and biceps femoris activity compared with an upright lunge. Upright is more quad; a forward lean from the hips is more glute.

Types of lunges

Reverse lunge

Step backward, lower, then return to standing. The front foot stays planted the whole time, so balance is easier and the landing is gentler. The best starting point for most people.

Forward lunge

Step forward, lower, push back. The front leg has to brake your body as you land, which makes it harder on the knee and the balance. A study of forward and backward lunges in 20 women found the forward lunge produced higher quadriceps force and patellofemoral (kneecap) joint loading than the backward lunge. If your knees are cranky, reverse lunges are the friendlier option. If they hurt, see a professional.

Walking lunge

Forward lunges that travel. Instead of pushing back, you push through into the next step. More rhythm, more conditioning, more balance demand. The Hyrox version.

Lateral lunge

Step sideways, sit into the stepping hip while the other leg stays straight. Trains the adductors and the side-to-side plane that every other lunge ignores.

Curtsy lunge, deficit reverse lunge and friends

The curtsy lunge steps back and across. The deficit reverse lunge stands on a low step so the front leg gets more range. Both are useful variations once the basics are solid, not starting points.

The static cousins

The split squat is a lunge with no step. It's easier to load and easier to learn. If the stepping part is where you fall apart, use split squat form explained as your starting point and come back to lunges later.

How to do a reverse lunge

1. ›Stand tall with feet hip-width apart, weight in the middle of both feet.
2. ›Step back about two to three feet with one leg, landing on the ball of that foot.
3. ›Lower straight down until the back knee hovers just above the floor. Front shin roughly vertical to slightly forward; front heel planted.
4. ›Drive through the front foot to bring the back leg forward to standing.
5. ›Reset, then repeat on the same leg or alternate.

Feet stay hip-width apart side to side throughout. Lunging onto a tightrope is the most common cause of wobbling.

Walking lunges form

Walking lunges form is the same as a forward lunge, with one change: instead of pushing back to the start, you push forward and up into the next step.

• ›Step long enough that both knees can bend to about 90 degrees.
• ›Land heel first, then the whole foot, and keep the front heel down as you lower.
• ›Lower under control until the back knee nearly touches the floor.
• ›Drive up and through the front foot, bringing the back leg straight into the next step.
• ›Stay tall. Ribs down, eyes forward, not at your feet.

No pausing on two feet between steps, unless you're resetting balance. A smooth, continuous rhythm is the habit worth building, especially if you're training for Hyrox.

Common lunge mistakes and fixes

How to load lunges

Start with bodyweight. When two sets of ten per leg feel controlled, add weight.

• ›Dumbbells at the sides: the default. Low center of mass, easy to drop if you lose balance.
• ›Goblet hold: one weight at the chest. Keeps you upright and leans toward the quads.
• ›Barbell on the back: heavier loads, harder to bail. Better for reverse lunges and split squats than walking lunges.
• ›Sandbag on the shoulders: the Hyrox setup. Awkward on purpose.
• ›Front-rack kettlebells: a challenging trunk variation.

Lunges look light compared with squats. That's fine. They're harder per pound because one leg and your balance are doing the work. Whether it's lunges vs squats or lunges vs bulgarian split squats, the comparison always comes back to load versus balance and movement. The quick rule for lunge vs split squat: the split squat is easier to load heavy, the lunge trains the step.

How to program lunges

Coaching conventions, not commandments. Reps are per leg.

Use them as the second or third lower-body exercise after a squat or hinge, or as the main single-leg lift on a day where you want less spinal loading. Once or twice a week is plenty.

For heavy single-leg strength, the static versions usually win, since you can load them more. The step ups vs bulgarian split squats for glutes question has a similar answer: the more stable the exercise, the more load you can use. Same for split squats vs bulgarian split squats: the bench adds range and difficulty. Lunges earn their place through the step, not the load.

Where lunges fit a running week

Lunges cause soreness out of proportion to the weight used, mostly from the eccentric (lowering) work. The first two weeks, plan for it.

• ›Start small in a base phase. Two light sets, building over several sessions.
• ›Lunge on an easy run day, after the run, or on a day with no hard running after it.
• ›Keep them away from the day before intervals or the long run.
• ›Go heavier rather than longer. A 2024 meta-analysis on runners found high-load strength training improved running economy, while submaximal loads did not show the same benefit. Long, light lunge sets are conditioning, not strength.
• ›Add some fast work. Lunges are slow. Jumps and hops train the springy side, and lateral box jumps add the side-to-side plane.

Lunges also don't replace a heavy bilateral squat, and they're not meant to. Here's the short version of our guide to back squat form: bar on the upper back, brace, sit down between your heels, stand up. Do both.

Lunges for Hyrox

The Hyrox race includes 100 m of sandbag lunges as station seven, with a 10, 20 or 30 kg bag depending on division, per hyrox.com's race overview. It comes late in the race, so the challenge is leg endurance under fatigue more than the load. Train it two ways: heavier reverse lunges or split squats for strength early in a block, then walking lunges at race weight after running as the race gets closer.

How exrsz handles lunges

exrsz builds a periodized plan from your goal, schedule, level and equipment, so you get reverse lunges with dumbbells if that's what you have, or sandbag walking lunges if you're training for Hyrox. It balances lower-body work against your runs in one plan, adapts the load each week based on what you lifted, and reshuffles sessions you miss.

FAQ

Are lunges good for runners?

Yes. They train one leg at a time with a landing and a push-off, which is close to what running asks of you. Place them on easy days and keep them away from the day before hard runs.

Are reverse lunges easier on the knees than forward lunges?

For most people, yes. A study of forward and backward lunges found lower quadriceps force and kneecap joint loading in the backward lunge.

What muscles does the lunge exercise work?

Mainly the quads, glutes and hamstrings of the front leg, plus the adductors, calves and trunk. A biomechanical analysis of the forward lunge found the hip extensors did the most work.

What's the correct walking lunges form?

Long enough step for both knees to reach about 90 degrees, front heel down, back knee just above the floor, then drive through the front foot straight into the next step. Stay tall and keep your feet hip-width apart.

How many lunges should I do?

Two to four sets of 6–12 per leg, once or twice a week, covers most goals. Hyrox racers add distance-based walking lunges closer to the race.