What you'll gain

• Builds the glutes, quads, and hamstrings through a knee-friendly lunge pattern.

• Trains single-leg balance and split-stance control.

• Strengthens the lower body anywhere with no equipment needed.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. 1

   Stand tall with feet hip-width apart, hands on your hips or at your chest for balance.

2. 2

   Take a long step back with one leg and lower the back knee straight down toward the floor.

3. 3

   Drop until the back knee is just above the ground and the front thigh is roughly parallel to the floor.

4. 4

   Keep the front knee tracking over the front foot and your chest tall the entire descent.

5. 5

   Drive through the heel of the front foot to push yourself back up to standing in one strong motion.

6. 6

   Step back with the opposite leg and continue alternating for the prescribed reps.

Common Mistakes

• Taking too short a step back, which loads the front knee instead of the front glute.

• Slamming the back knee into the floor instead of lowering it under control.

• Letting the chest collapse forward, which shifts the work to the lower back.

• Pushing off the back foot instead of driving through the front heel — robs the front leg of work.

About This Exercise

The alternating reverse lunge is the most knee-friendly version of the lunge family. By stepping back instead of forward, it shifts the load slightly more onto the front-leg glute and reduces shear on the front knee. It builds the quads, glutes, and hamstrings while also training balance and single-leg control. For fitness apps, reverse lunges are a workhorse leg exercise for any home, travel, or beginner-friendly program. They scale endlessly with pace, tempo, or added load and they teach split-stance mechanics without the joint stress of forward lunges. Use this clip in beginner leg-day flows, warm-up sequences, and as a progression step before Bulgarian split squats.

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