Here is everything you need to know about doing lunges correctly to unlock every strength and muscle mass from the exercise. I will take your lunges to the next level, doing them properly with some simple steps because doing them wrong can hurt your knees and lower back and cause muscle imbalances.
Step 1: Setup your position
To start a lunge with the right position:
Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Keep your chest up, shoulders relaxed, and core engaged.
Your feet should be flat on the ground, pointing forward. There should be a little space between your feet, enough for your hips to feel comfortable. This will help you maintain balance when you step into the lunge.
Let your arms hang naturally by your sides, or place your hands on your hips for better balance.
Tighten your core muscles. This will support your lower back and help you stay stable during the movement.
Step 2: front foot position
Place 70% of your weight on the heel of your front foot and 30% on your toes. This helps activate the glutes and hamstrings and prevents strain on your knee.
As you lower into the lunge, focus on pressing through your big toe pad and your heel. This will help keep your knee stable and engaged and ensure you’re using the right muscles to power the movement.
Keep your front knee in line with your toes. It should not move inward or outward. Pressing through the heel also helps protect the knee from unnecessary stress.
By keeping the right pressure on your front foot, you’ll improve your form and reduce the risk of injury.
Step 3: Front knee position
As you lunge, make sure your front knee points in the same direction as your toes. It should not shift left or right.
Your knee should track straight forward. If it moves inward (toward your other leg) or outward, it can strain the joint and increase the risk of injury.
Keep the knee stable and in control, making sure it does not extend past your toes. This will help prevent unnecessary pressure on the knee joint and ensure you’re engaging the right muscles.
Step 4: Hip Position
Your hips should remain level and stable. Don’t let them drop or shift to one side as you lunge.
Your hips should not rotate or twist. Keep them facing forward as you step into the lunge. This helps maintain proper posture and reduces strain on the lower back.
Ensure that your pelvis is in a neutral position—neither tilting forward nor backward. A neutral pelvis supports your spine and helps keep your movement controlled.
By keeping your hips stable, you’ll engage your core more effectively and protect your lower back.
Step 5: Using your glutes effectively
As you lower into the lunge, make sure your front knee does not travel too far past your toes. If your knee moves too forward, it can place unnecessary stress on the knee joint. Focus on keeping your knee directly above your ankle or slightly behind.
When you push back to standing, fully extend your hips. This means squeezing your glutes to bring your hips forward. Fully extending your hips helps activate your glutes more and works them effectively, rather than relying on your quads or knees.
As you rise from the lunge, push through your front heel and squeeze your glutes at the top of the movement. This will ensure you are using your glutes and not just your thighs.
Step 6: Back knee position
Make sure your feet are hip-width apart throughout the lunge. Your back foot should stay aligned with your front foot, creating two parallel lines. This helps with stability and balance.
The back knee should not be too far in front of your back foot or pointing upward or backward. Instead, it should drop straight down toward the ground, following the natural movement of your hips.
As you lower into the lunge, your back knee should be aiming toward the floor, not sticking out to the sides. When you go deep enough, your back knee should hover just above the ground, maintaining a 90-degree angle with your legs.
Step 7: Back Foot position
The position of your back foot is key for maintaining balance and stability during the lunge.
As you lunge, make sure to keep constant pressure on the ball of your back foot. Your toes should stay in contact with the ground, and your foot should not lift.
The back foot helps stabilize your body, so avoid letting it shift or roll. Focus on keeping your foot firmly planted to give you better balance and support.
Although most of the movement comes from your front leg, keeping pressure on your back foot helps activate muscles in your back leg, including your calves and hamstrings.
If you struggle with maintaining the correct form for the luges
If you find lunges difficult, try these modifications to make them easier and improve your stability. Once you feel stable and comfortable with the movements, you can gradually progress to regular lunges. I’ve outlined 6 different modifications—experiment with them to see which one feels easiest for you.
1. Reduce Your Range of Motion
By not lowering your body as deeply, you reduce the strain on your muscles and joints. This allows you to focus on form without overextending, helping to prevent injury and improve stability.
2. Use a Chair or Wall for Support
Holding onto a chair or wall can help with balance and stability, especially if you’re just starting out or feeling wobbly during the movement. This support allows you to focus more on proper form without worrying about falling.
3. Do Reverse Lunges
Reverse lunges (stepping back instead of forward) are often easier to control, as they reduce the amount of forward momentum. This can be especially helpful if you struggle with knee tracking or balance. It also places less stress on the knee joint compared to forward lunges.
4. Slow Down the Movement
Slowing down your lunge gives you more time to focus on each part of the movement, ensuring you’re using the correct muscles and maintaining proper posture. It also reduces momentum, helping to prevent you from collapsing or losing control during the lunge.
5. Shorten Your Step Length
Taking a smaller step can make lunges feel more manageable and allow you to focus on form. This also helps prevent overstriding, which can cause misalignment in your knees and hips. A shorter step keeps your weight more centered, reducing stress on the joints.
6. Perform Static Lunges
A static (or stationary) lunge eliminates the need for forward or backward movement, making it easier to focus on maintaining good form. You’re essentially performing the lunge in place, which simplifies the balance aspect of the exercise.
If the lunges have gotten far too easy for you
There’s no doubt that progressive overload is key to taking your lunges to the next level. If regular lunges have become too easy for you, try adding these 6 variations I’ve shared to increase the challenge and elevate your workout. These modifications will help you progress and target your muscles in new ways.
1. Add Weights
Holding dumbbells, kettlebells, or a barbell while performing lunges will add resistance, increasing the demand on your muscles and making the exercise more challenging.
2. Increase Your Range of Motion
Go deeper into the lunge by lowering your hips further toward the ground. This increases the stretch and activation of your muscles, particularly the glutes and quads.
3. Perform Plyometric Lunges (Jump Lunges)
Jumping between lunges, also known as jump lunges or plyometric lunges, adds explosive power and increases the intensity. This variation also challenges your cardiovascular system and coordination.
4. Incorporate a Deficit
Perform lunges while standing on an elevated surface (like a step or a box). This increases the range of motion and adds more work for your glutes, hamstrings, and quads.
5. Add a Twist or Rotation
Add a torso twist at the bottom of the lunge to engage your core and work on rotational stability. This adds a dynamic element to the movement and challenges balance and coordination.
6. Perform Walking Lunges
Instead of performing stationary lunges, try walking lunges. Moving forward with each lunge requires more stability, coordination, and control, making the exercise harder and more functional.