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Exercise library · Quads

Backpack lunge

Lunge for the quads with other equipment.

How to do it

1 of 4

Backpack on, straps snug

  1. Starting position

    Wear the backpack with the straps snug and stand tall with your feet hip-width apart.

  2. The movement

    Step forward, lower your back knee toward the floor, and drive through the front foot to return.

Most common mistake

Don't lean forward under the backpack, keep your torso upright and your front knee over your foot.

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Muscle group
Quads
Equipment
Other
Where
Home or gym
Logged as
Reps

Muscles worked

Each rep is driven by the quads and glutes of your front leg, backed up by your inner thigh and hamstrings. In a lunge one leg takes most of the weight, so a rucksack feels much heavier here than in a squat, and a bag too light for squats can still give your lunges real resistance. The weight on your back also asks more of your trunk and the side of your hip, which keep you straight and steady as the step lands.

Common mistakes

  • You jerk yourself up with your upper body. When the bag is heavy, it is tempting to throw your torso back to get up. Push through the front foot and let your upper body follow at the same calm pace. If you cannot, the bag is too heavy for now.
  • Your feet end up too narrow. With extra weight on your back, balance suffers if your feet are almost in a line. Step forward slightly out to the side, so there is roughly hip width between your feet even in the lunge.
  • Your stronger leg sets the pace. If you start with the stronger leg, the weaker one often gets fewer reps. Start with the weaker leg and match the number on the other.

Variations and alternatives

  • The bodyweight lunge while your balance in the step is still shaky. Add the bag once it is steady.
  • The backpack squat when you want to train both legs at once with the same rucksack.
  • The walking lunge when you have room to move forward and want a longer, tougher set, with the bag or with dumbbells.

Sets and reps

Two to four sets of 8 to 15 reps per leg work well for building muscle, and closer to 20 reps moves things towards endurance. Rest one to two minutes between sets, as both your legs and your trunk get tired. Matching sets and reps to your goal is covered in the guide to sets and reps.

With one bag and whatever you can pack into it, you will eventually hit a ceiling. Then you can add reps, shorten your rest or switch to Bulgarian split squats with the bag on. Log the weight and reps of every set, so you know what to beat next time. That is progressive overload in practice.

Swap for

Taken, or missing the equipment? The same movement with something else.

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