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Exercise library · Quads

Reverse lunge

Lunge for the quads with dumbbells.

How to do it

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Stand hip-width, dumbbells at sides

  1. Starting position

    Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with your arms by your sides.

  2. The movement

    Step back, lower yourself by bending both knees, then push through your front foot to return to the start.

Most common mistake

Don't let your front knee cave in, keep it in line with your foot as you lower and rise.

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Muscle group
Quads
Equipment
Dumbbells
Where
Home or gym
Logged as
Weight × reps

Muscles worked

Your front leg does almost everything: the quads and glutes lift you, with help from the inner thigh and hamstrings. Because your front foot stays planted while you step back, that leg never has to brake a forward step, and many people find the exercise easier to control and kinder on the knees than a forward lunge. A longer step back gives your glutes more, a shorter one your quads. The dumbbells also give your grip and trunk something to do.

Common mistakes

  • Pushing off the back foot. On the way back it is tempting to drive with the back leg. Think of your front leg pulling you up and forward, and let the back foot simply follow.
  • Step length varies. A short step one rep and a long one the next changes the depth and which muscle works hardest. Find a step where both knees bend to roughly a right angle, and repeat it.
  • Landing heavily on the back foot. Stepping back without control makes the foot thump down. Place the ball of your foot softly and keep your weight on the front leg.

Variations and alternatives

  • The dumbbell lunge, stepping forwards, makes you brake a step and is a little harder to control.
  • The bodyweight reverse lunge is the same movement without dumbbells, for learning the step or training at home.
  • The Bulgarian split squat rests your back foot on a bench, so the step disappears and the whole set stays on one leg.

Sets and reps

To build muscle, 8 to 12 reps per leg over 2 to 4 sets works well, and 15 to 20 per leg for endurance. You can finish one leg first or alternate every rep. Alternating feels easier, as each leg gets a short break, while one side at a time gives that leg a longer continuous effort. With heavy dumbbells your grip often fails before your legs, and lifting straps can help. The guide to sets and reps walks through how rep counts follow your goal.

Build up to the top of your range in every set, then move up a step in dumbbells. Reps first and weight second is progressive overload in its simplest form. Log whether you alternated, as one way usually feels easier.

Swap for

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

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