Dumbbell Lunges
Also works: Calves · Glutes · Hamstrings
A stationary forward lunge loaded with a dumbbell in each hand: step out, drop the back knee toward the floor, push back off the front heel to where you started. Stepping forward rather than back means you brake your own bodyweight into the bottom, so the front quad does eccentric work a split squat from standing never asks for.
Own the movement
Set up first, then execute. Every cue below is something you can check on your next set.
Before the first rep
- Take a dumbbell in each hand, arms hanging straight down at your sides, palms facing your thighs.
- Stand tall with your feet under your hips and your shoulder blades pulled down and back.
- Pick a clear stretch of floor and look at a fixed point ahead — dropping your gaze costs you balance.
- Brace your trunk before you step; the dumbbells will try to pull you forward as you descend.
- Start with a lighter pair than you expect. Balance, not leg strength, decides your first working weight.
Every rep
Breathing & tempo — Inhale as you step out and descend, exhale as you drive back to standing. Two to three seconds down, no pause at the bottom, controlled on the way up.
Sets, reps & load
Where to start, and what to change when it stops being hard.
Start with 8-10 kg per hand, or bodyweight only if you cannot hold the bottom position still. A useful marker is 10 reps per leg with a quarter of your bodyweight in each hand and no torso lean. Add weight only when balance is boring; until then add reps.
What goes wrong
The errors that show up most often, and the cue that fixes each one.
Lengthen the step to about 60-70 cm and check that the front shin is near vertical at the bottom. Mark the spot on the floor with tape for a few sets.
Stop two centimetres short and control the last few centimetres. Slow the descent to three seconds until you can find the bottom without impact.
Keep the ribcage stacked over the hips and the dumbbells hanging straight down. If your chest drops, drop the dumbbells by 4 kg per hand.
Do all the reps on the right, rest, then all on the left. Alternating gives each leg a rest between reps and halves the training stimulus per set.
Why bother
A lunge splits your stance, so the front leg carries most of your bodyweight plus the dumbbells with almost no help from the other side. Any strength difference between legs shows up immediately — you will feel one side wobble and the other feel solid, information a barbell squat hides completely.
The forward step is the defining detail. You decelerate your own bodyweight on the way down, so the front quad and glute do eccentric braking work that a step-up or a split squat from standing never asks for. That is also why forward lunges leave you more sore than most single-leg work at the same load.
Where it fits
Second or third movement on a lower-body day, after your main squat or hinge, for 3-4 sets of 8-12 per leg. Once a week is plenty if you are also squatting heavy — the eccentric load adds up fast and lunges are a common source of the soreness people blame on their squats.
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Asked and answered
Forward or reverse lunge — which should I do?
Reverse lunges are kinder to the knees and easier to balance, because you step into the position rather than braking into it. Forward lunges give you more eccentric loading on the front leg and more soreness for the same weight. If your knees complain, use reverse; if you want the front quad worked hard and your knees are fine, use forward.
Should my knee stay behind my toes?
The knee travelling slightly past the toes is not dangerous, despite what the old coaching cue says. What matters here is the step length: too short a step forces an extreme shin angle and shifts almost everything onto the kneecap. Take a longer step and the question answers itself.
Why can I lunge much less than I squat?
Because one leg is doing the work of two, and because grip and balance cap you long before your quads do. Half your squat, split across two hands, is already a hard set. Straps help if your grip is the limit, but for most people the limit is stability.
Do lunges build glutes or quads?
Both, and step length decides the ratio. A long step with an upright torso loads the glute of the front leg and stretches the hip flexors of the back leg; a shorter step with more knee bend biases the quad. Pick one deliberately and keep it consistent within a set.