Leg day is a time for variety, so get creative by implementing these new lunge variations into your next leg workout to spark new results.
As effective as meat-and-potatoes barbell moves such as squats and deadlifts are for beefing up your lower half, there are many great lunging variations that you can employ to assist in building bulk and strength—and you’d be wise to do so.
For one, a 2017 study published in the BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation showed that split squats (which are almost identical to lunges) were more effective for loading the quads—specifically the rectus femoris, which gives your quads that teardrop shape—compared with good mornings and deadlifts. And since lunges call for less of a load, they’re typically easier on your knee and hip joints.
On the following slides, we outline six lunge variations for you to try. Add in a couple at the start of your workout to warm up or sprinkle any of them in the middle of your lower-body routine.
“Even though it’s primarily used to work the legs, the front rack lunge is a real ab killer,” says Jim Ryno, owner of Iron House Gym in Alpine, NJ (iron-house.co). “Because of the front rack position, this move requires more work from your core to maintain a vertical torso throughout the exercise.”
Do it:
Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding two kettlebells in the front rack position. Take a large step back with one leg into a reverse lunge, keeping the kettlebells at chest height throughout. Touch your back knee to the floor, then push through the heel of the front foot to reverse the movement and return to the standing position. Repeat with the opposite leg, alternating sides every other rep. Note: This exercise can also be done as a forward lunge.
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Curtsy Lunge
Sets X Reps: 2–3 x 12–15 (per side)
Why do it:
“This lunge variation particularly works the abductor muscles [outer thighs] more than your standard lunge,” Ryno says. “It also effectively targets the gluteus medius, which helps stabilize the hips to help improve posture.”
Do it:
Stand holding a pair of dumbbells at your sides with your feet shoulder-width apart. Step your right foot back behind you and to the left so that it touches down on the floor on the other side of your left foot. Keep your torso upright throughout. Tap your knee to the floor, then push through your front heel to reverse the motion and return to the start position. Repeat the movement with the left leg, going back and forth on every rep.
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Jumping Lunge
Sets X Reps: 3 x 5–8 (per side)
Why do it:
“This is considered a plyometric exercise, thus being a more intense type of lunge, since you’re leaving the ground in an explosive manner,” Ryno says. “It adds a nice cardiovascular element to a strength workout and is a perfect lunge to incorporate into a HIIT workout. It really torches your metabolism.”
Do it:
Start in the top position of a stationary lunge: right foot out in front of you, left foot behind. Bend your knees, dropping the back one straight down until it nearly touches the floor. At this point, explosively reverse the motion, extending your hips and knees so that your feet leave the floor. In midair, switch your legs so that you land on soft knees, with the left foot forward and right foot back. Don’t pause—go right into the next rep and explode up, again switching legs in the air. Do reps continuously until the set is complete.
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Overhead Lunge
Sets X Reps: 3 x 6–8 (per side)
Why do it:
“This is a very taxing move,” Ryno says. “While blasting the lower body, it also challenges the muscles in your arms, shoulders, and upper back as well as the core to stabilize the weight overhead.”
Do it:
Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding the outer edges of a weight plate overhead with your arms fully extended. (A 25-, 35-, or 45-pound plate will be appropriate for most fit guys.) Step out in front of you with one leg into a forward lunge, keeping the plate directly overhead throughout; focus on pushing the weight slightly back behind you so it doesn’t shift forward. When your front quad reaches parallel with the floor (or slightly beyond), press through your heel to extend your hips and knees and return to the standing position. Repeat with the opposite leg, alternating sides every other rep.
Note: This exercise can also be done as a reverse lunge.
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Side Lunge
Sets X Reps: 3 x 8–10 (per side)
Why do it:
“Too much training occurs in one plane of motion [linear], which can lead to muscle imbalances,” Ryno says. “This lunge gets you moving laterally and works the gluteus medius while targeting the quads from a different angle.”
Do it:
Stand holding a pair of dumbbells at your sides with your feet hip-width apart. Keeping toes pointed forward, take a large lateral step to one side. After planting the lead foot back down, bend that knee until the thigh is parallel with the floor. Keep your weight back and chest up so that your knee is over your forefoot at the bottom of the rep, not out over your toes. Drive off the lead foot to reverse the motion and step back to the standing position. Repeat to the other side, alternating sides every other rep.
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Twisting Lunge
Sets X Reps: 2–3 x 12–15 (per leg).
Why do it:
“This lunge causes the glutes to contract more fully than most other lunges and will help improve flexibility in the hips,” Ryno says. “Due to the added rotation, you also work the abs and obliques and improve core strength.”
Do it:
Stand holding a weight plate out in front of you, with your arms extended. Take a large step forward with one leg and drop the back knee toward the floor into a lunge. At the bottom of the movement, with your front thigh parallel with the floor, twist your torso in the same direction as your back leg. Rotate back to facing forward, then rotate the other way. Extend your hips and knees to press back up to the standing position. Repeat on the other side, twisting your torso in the opposite direction at the bottom and then to the other side.
