Static Lunge
- Level
- Beginner
- Movement
- Lunge · Standing
- Tracks
- Reps only
Works
Glutes Quadriceps Hamstrings Adductors Calves Abdominals Lower Back Back
How to do it
- Stand tall with feet hip-width apart and hands on hips or at your sides.
- Step one foot forward into a split stance, roughly two to three feet apart, front foot flat and rear heel lifted onto the ball of the foot.
- Keep your torso upright and hips square to the front.
- Bend both knees and lower your hips straight down until the rear knee is just above the floor and the front thigh is close to parallel with the ground.
- Keep the front knee tracking over the middle of the front foot and the rear knee pointing down.
- Push through the front heel and mid-foot to extend both legs and return to the starting split stance without moving the feet.
- Complete all reps on one side, then switch legs.
Common mistakes
- Letting the front knee cave inward.
- Leaning too far forward over the front knee instead of lowering vertically.
- Setting the stance too short, which pushes the front knee far past the toes, or too long, which strains the rear hip flexor.
- Bouncing out of the bottom using the rear leg instead of driving through the front heel.
- Letting the rear knee strike the floor hard.
- Shifting the torso or hips sideways to compensate for weak hip stabilisers.
Safety
Watch for knee discomfort if the stance is too short and the front knee travels far past the toes.
Watch for rear-knee pressure if the knee is dropped onto the floor.
Anyone with knee or hip pain should shorten the range or reduce load.
Tips
- Set the stance length before the first rep and check it: at the bottom the front shin should be close to vertical and the rear knee under the hip.
- Lower straight down rather than drifting forward over the front toe.
- Keep weight through the front heel and the ball of the rear foot.
- Pause briefly at the bottom to remove momentum and keep tension on the front leg.
- Keep the ribcage stacked over the pelvis and the gaze forward.
Details
- Base movement
- Lunge
- Legs
- One
- Torso lean
- Upright
- Body position
- Standing
- Stance
- Staggered / split
