Lunges
The lunge is a unilateral lower body movement — meaning one leg does the primary work at a time. Like the squat, it’s a knee dominant pattern that trains the quadriceps and glutes, but the single leg nature of the movement adds a balance and stability demand that bilateral movements don’t. That distinction makes it a valuable complement to squatting rather than a substitute for it.
Training one leg at a time exposes and corrects strength imbalances between sides in a way that bilateral movements can’t. When both legs are working together, the stronger side compensates for the weaker one without either side knowing. A lunge removes that option. Whatever imbalance exists becomes immediately apparent, and consistent unilateral training corrects it over time.
The lunge pattern also has direct carry over to real world movement in a way that’s hard to replicate bilaterally. Walking, climbing stairs, stepping over something, catching yourself from a stumble — these are all single leg movements that draw on the same strength and stability the lunge develops.
Lunge variations differ primarily in the direction of the step and the position of the trailing leg. Forward lunges, reverse lunges, and lateral lunges each place slightly different demands on the hip and knee, with reverse lunges generally being more knee friendly and easier to control for people newer to the pattern.
Below are the lunge variations in the library.
Reference Card
Movement Pattern: Unilateral knee dominant push Primary Muscles: Quadriceps, glutes Secondary Muscles: Hamstrings, adductors, core, hip stabilizers
Variations
- Bodyweight lunge
- Dumbbell lunge
- Barbell lunge
- Reverse bodyweight lunge
- Reverse dumbbell lunge
- Reverse barbell lunge
- Lateral lunge
- Cable lunge
Considerations
- Unilateral training exposes strength imbalances between sides — don’t be surprised if one side is noticeably stronger than the other
- Reverse lunges are generally more knee friendly than forward lunges — a good starting point for people newer to the pattern
- The knee of the working leg should track over the toes throughout the movement
- Control the descent — the eccentric phase is where much of the stimulus lives
Programming Notes
- Works well after bilateral squat movements in a lower body session
- Responds well to moderate rep ranges (8–12) per side
- Bodyweight and light dumbbell variations are the right starting point before adding significant load