So You Want To Know Which Muscles Reverse Lunges Work. Here’s Your Expert Guide

But if doing lunges has ever caused you knee pain, you would possibly not need to ditch the move altogether. Fear not, there are lunge variations which are gentler in your knee joints and supply additional strengthening advantages to your glutes and hamstrings. Enter: the reverse lunge.

Unlike a forward lunge by which you step forward and push off together with your front foot, you step backward in a reverse lunge. This change in momentum strengthens and tones your legs a bit in another way than a forward lunge. It also puts less stress in your kneecap, which implies it’s a perfect strength exercise for individuals who take care of pain within the front of their knee, in accordance with a January 2021 study in Physical Therapy in Sport.

Let’s take a have a look at how one can do the reverse lunge accurately, which muscles the move works, and all the advantages it has to supply.

How to do a reverse lunge with perfect form each time

The basic motion of the reverse lunge is similar because the forward lunge, except it is your back foot that is pushing off as a substitute of your front foot. This move might be done using just your body weight, by holding onto dumbbells, a barbell, or by wearing a weighted vest for extra resistance.

Follow these steps to get the correct form with the reverse lunge:

1. Start by standing together with your feet hip-width apart and your arms by your side.
2. Step back together with your left foot, landing on the ball of your foot.
3. Bend your left back knee in a lunge position, lowering yourself down until each knees are at a 90-degree angle (or as little as you may comfortably go).
4. Keep your trunk upright and your hips facing forward.
5. Push off together with your left foot to step your left leg back to the starting position.
6. Repeat 12 to fifteen times.
7. Repeat on the opposite leg.
8. Perform 2 to three sets.

Muscles worked when doing reverse lunges

Lunges are an important strengthening move to your lower body. “They goal the hamstrings, quads, glutes, and core, with additional advantages for hip mobility,” Wood says.

Because they seem to be a single-leg exercise (aka one which requires you to mainly work one leg at a time), they’ve additional advantages. “They address strength imbalances between the 2 legs,” Wood says. This might be especially helpful should you’ve had an injury to at least one leg and have been favoring one side over the opposite. (FYI: Favoring one leg over the opposite can result in muscle imbalances that can lead to further injury.)

Reverse lunges have additional strengthening advantages when put next to forward lunges. Because of the reverse motion, there’s less activation in your quadriceps and more activation in your gluteus maximus (the biggest of your glute muscles) and hamstrings. This puts less stress on the knee, in accordance with the Physical Therapy in Sport study.

The reverse lunge also works your calves in the course of the push-off motion. It shouldn’t be just your lower body that gets stronger, as lunges also strengthen your core or abdominal muscles. In fact, reverse lunges could also be higher than forward lunges at emphasizing trunk motor control and strengthening your erector spinae muscles in your back for improved posture, in accordance with a small November 2021 study in Physical Therapy Korea. (It’s value noting that forward lunges activate your abdominals greater than reverse lunges, but each lunge variations do strengthen your core).

Benefits of reverse lunges that’ll persuade you so as to add them to your workouts

“Reverse lunges ought to be a staple in your fitness routine,” Wood says. This exercise doesn’t require special equipment (although you need to use added weight) and might be done anywhere. It’s a functional move that truly helps you with day by day activities, like walking, running, bending down, and climbing stairs with ease.

Need more convincing? Here are five more advantages of reverse lunges.

1. They’re a complete lower-body strengthening move

The reverse lunge is a wonderful solution to strengthen your whole lower body with one move. This exercise strengthens your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, calves, and even your inner thighs.

2. They strengthen your postural and trunk muscles

In addition to your lower body, the reverse lunge also strengthens your abdominals, including your rectus abdominis–also called your “six-pack” muscles—in accordance with a study³ presented on the 2016 International Conference of Biomechanics in Sport.

As mentioned earlier, your erector spinae muscles along your back also get stronger in the course of the reverse lunge. These muscles all help support your trunk for improved posture. Because lunges require balance, your trunk muscles are activated to maintain you stable.

3. They improve hip mobility

The reverse lunge helps improve your hip mobility with leg extension. The lunge position also helps boost the flexibleness of your hip flexor muscle. You may feel a pleasant stretch within the front of your leg as you perform this move.

4. They don’t put a ton of stress in your knees

The research from the International Conference of Biomechanics in Sport found that the reverse lunge puts less sheer force in your knee when put next to the forward lunge. This might be helpful if you’ve knee pain with the forward lunge or produce other knee issues like runner’s knee (aka or patellofemoral knee pain).

5. They’re a unilateral (single-leg) exercise

The reverse lunge is a unilateral exercise, meaning it requires you to balance and use the muscles of only one leg at a time. This helps improve balance and likewise prevents muscle imbalances. This translates into fewer injuries and improved function, each in your day by day activities and even in sports. “Lunges require coordination and single-leg stability,” Wood says.

“Reverse lunges ought to be a staple in your fitness routine.” —Kendall Wood, CPT

Common mistakes people often make when doing reverse lunges

To get essentially the most profit from the reverse lunge, it’s best to be certain that you’ve proper form. “As a trainer, essentially the most common mistakes I see with reverse lunges are misplacement of feet, misalignment of joints, and improper posture,” Wood says.

1. Foot placement

“To avoid placing your feet too narrow or wide, aim to maintain your hips, knees, and ankles in alignment on either side,” Wood says Look down at your feet to be certain that your toes are pointed forward, not inward or outward. Use a mirror as needed to be certain that your feet placement is correct.

2. Joint or knee placement

When doing the reverse lunge, each your front leg and back leg ought to be at a right angle (or 90-degree angle). You may have to regulate how far back your step and either widen your stance or shorten your stance as needed.

3. Posture

Your trunk ought to be upright throughout the move. You don’t want it to bend too far forward or lean too far back.

“To avoid rounding the spine or dropping the chest forward, discover a mark at eye level and deal with it,” Wood says. “Use the spot to maintain your gaze forward and spine neutral; this will even assist with balance. Until you’re employed as much as successfully self-correcting, decelerate your pace, lock in your mind-muscle connection, and hone your technique to determine movement proficiency.”

Safety suggestions to think about when performing reverse lunges

As with any exercise, it’s necessary to speak together with your doctor if you’ve preexisting conditions or injuries or if the exercise is causing you pain, Wood advises.

You also needs to take heed to your body—only lower down into the lunge so far as you may comfortably go. If you are unsure of your balance, be certain that you’ve a stable surface close you could hold onto for support.

Before doing a strengthening program, it’s best to do a 5- to 10-minute warm-up to get your muscles primed for activity. Warm-up examples include walking, light jogging, cycling, or some dynamic stretches. After your workout, do a cool-down routine with stretches like cat-cow and pigeon pose.

FAQ

1. Which is healthier: lunges or reverse lunges?

Both lunge variations are good, depending on what you wish to accomplish and the way the exercise feels in your joints.

“In a reverse lunge, the lead leg bears many of the weight, providing a more stable base of support than other lunge variations,” Wood says. “Forward lunges are a more difficult variation than reverse lunges, with a less stable base of support and more balance required. There’s also higher metabolic output because of its uptempo nature, as you swiftly decelerate to the underside and speed up to the starting position.”

If you’ve knee pain, a reverse lunge is the better option. It also works your glutes and hamstrings greater than the forward lunge. If you wish to put more emphasis in your core and quad muscles, the forward lunge is alternative. Both lunges are excellent ways to strengthen your lower-body and trunk muscles.

2. Are reverse lunges bad to your knees?

“Reverse lunges are higher fitted to the knees than forward lunges,” Wood says. “The reverse lunge places more load on the hips than the knees, while the forward lunge places considerable pressure on the knees.”