Bodyweight Rear Lunge
Perform the bodyweight rear lunge to strengthen your glutes and quads. Step backward, lower your hips, and feel the burn. Improve balance and leg strength.
Description
A lunge exercise where you step backward with one foot and lower your body until your other knee is close to the ground.
How to Do Bodyweight Rear Lunge
- 1Setup
Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart, chest up, and core engaged, looking straight ahead.
- 2Setup
Take a controlled step backward with one foot, landing on the ball of your back foot while keeping your front foot flat.
- 3
Lower your body by bending both knees until your front thigh is parallel to the floor and your back knee hovers just above the ground. Ensure your front knee tracks directly over your ankle.
- 4
Push through the heel of your front foot to powerfully return to the starting standing position, bringing your back foot forward.
- 5
Alternate legs with each repetition or complete all desired reps on one side before switching to the other leg.
Tips
- Maintain an upright torso throughout the movement by keeping your chest lifted and shoulders pulled back, avoiding any forward lean.
- Focus on driving through the heel of your front foot to activate your glutes and quadriceps effectively during the upward phase.
- Control the eccentric (lowering) phase of the lunge to build strength and protect your knees from impact.
- Keep your feet hip-width apart as you step back to maintain a stable base and improve your balance.
Common Mistakes
- ×Leaning forward excessively during the lunge puts undue stress on the lower back; keep your chest upright and core tight, allowing your hips to drop straight down.
- ×Allowing the front knee to collapse inward (valgus collapse) can strain the knee joint; actively push your front knee outward, aligning it with your second and third toes.
- ×Taking too short of a step backward limits the range of motion and muscle activation; step back far enough to create approximately 90-degree angles at both knees in the bottom position.
Variations
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Bodyweight Single Leg Deadlift
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Bodyweight Overhead Squat
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Related Exercises
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