Lunge

The lunge is a split-stance movement where one foot steps forward and the body descends until the rear knee approaches the floor. The front leg drives the concentric effort. Because each leg works independently, strength and stability imbalances between sides become immediately apparent in a way that squatting with both feet planted rarely reveals.

Stride length determines the training emphasis. A longer step puts more demand on the glute of the front leg and reduces the stretch on the rear quad. A shorter step loads the front quad more heavily and challenges knee tracking. Neither is wrong — use stride length as a tool. For most people, a step length where the shin stays roughly vertical at the bottom is a good starting point.

Lunges can be done in place (stationary), walking, or reverse. The reverse lunge — stepping back instead of forward — is easier to control for people with knee pain because the shin stays more vertical throughout. Walking lunges add a coordination and balance demand that translates well to athletic movement. Load with dumbbells or a barbell when bodyweight becomes easy.

In LiftProof, log lunges as a unilateral lower body movement. Count reps per leg and log total reps, or use leg-specific notation. When adding load, dumbbells at the sides are simpler to manage than a barbell before technique is dialed in.

• Step to a length where the front shin stays close to vertical at the bottom
• Drive through the front heel to come back up
• Keep the torso tall — do not let the chest fall forward
• Rear knee touches down gently, not crashes into the floor
• Brace the core; the hips should stay level, not tilt side to side

• Front knee tracking inward — cue external rotation and check glute strength
• Stride too short — causes the front knee to shoot far past the toes and overloads the patellar tendon
• Leaning forward — usually quad weakness or a step that is too short; fix the stride length first
• Not getting the rear knee close to the floor — abbreviated depth cuts the glute out of the rep

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