13 Best Lunge Variations That Can Help Target And Build Strong Legs

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Many exercisers and lifters concentrate on training their upper body muscles and never bother about the lower body muscles. But you can resolve this issue by adding these lunge variations to your workout regimen.

Lunges are one of the most effective bodyweight exercises that target and work lower body muscles, including the core, quads, glutes, and hamstrings. Lunges can help improve your balance, stability, and coordination.

Including lunges in your workout can help you build strong, lean legs. And the good thing is you don’t have to stick to only the standard forward lunge.

You can make your training exciting and challenging by incorporating many lunge variations in your training regimen.

Including these lunge variations in your fitness and training regimen can help you build muscular legs, help you get better results, and help make you a better athlete.

You don’t need gym equipment for many of the lunge variations, making it possible to do them at home or wherever and whenever convenient

Best lunge variation to target and work your leg muscles

Include these lunge variations in your workout to help build a strong, well-toned body and reduce the risk of injury.

Static Lunge

Static lunges are similar to forward lunges, except that static lunges have a smaller range of motion.

Static lunges are the lunge variations to start with if you are a novice.

There is no step out or return with static lunges, making them easier to perform. They are some of the best lunge variations for those with knee issues.

The movements emphasize the eccentric contraction, which is the lowering phase of the exercise. Doing so helps to engage and develop many muscle fibers.

Static lunges will challenge your balance and hip flexibility, helping to strengthen them and prepare you for other challenging lunge variations.

Steps to follow

• Take a split stance with your front and back foot 2-4 feet apart, and slightly lift your back heel.
• Bend both knees and lower yourself into a lunge, ensuring your knees are at 90 degrees. Ensure you place most of the load through your front foot and keep it flat on the floor throughout.
• Push through your front foot, and using your back foot to balance your body, lift yourself and return to your starting position. Make sure you remain on the balls of your feet when returning your back leg to its starting position

Diagonal Lunge

The diagonal lunges are some of the best lunge variations that engage your inner and outer thigh muscles. The movement also targets your quads, glutes, and hamstrings.

Diagonal lunges are similar to the forward lunge, except that you do the lunge movement with your back foot more to the side instead of straight back.

Steps to follow

• Stand upright with feet close to each other and hands by your side or on your hips.
• Step forward and place your front foot at about 45 degrees, bend both knees lower them to the floor.
• Push through your front foot and raise yourself to your starting position.

Lateral Lunge

The lateral or side lunge targets the leg muscles, including your inner and outer thigh muscles.

The movement involves keeping one of your legs straight while you move the other sideways.

Keeping one of the legs straight allows you to stretch your groin and hamstring muscles while creating power and velocity with the other leg.

The movement is one of the best lunge variations that can train you for pistol squats.

Steps to follow

• Stand upright with feet hip-width apart and hands in front of your chest.
• Take a big step with your left leg to your side, ensuring both toes point in the same direction.
• Keep both feet flat on the floor. Ensure you keep your right leg straight, bend your left knee and keep your hips back.
• Push through your right foot and forcefully pull your left leg back to your starting position.
• Change and repeat with the other side of your body to complete a rep.
• Repeat 6-8 reps per side for a set and 3 sets to complete a session.

Tip:
Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell at your chest with both hands while doing the movement to make them challenging and help burn more calories. But only do that after mastering the technique. Always start with a lighter weight and build on from there

Reverse Lunge

Reverse lunges are some of the best lung alternatives for those with minor knee pain.

The movement is much easier on your knees as it allows your knee joint to respond favorably to hip flexion.

The movement is also one of the best lunge variations that can help evaluate any imbalance when building strength, balance, and hip flexibility.

Steps to follow

• Stand upright and place your hands on your hips.
• Take a big step backward, simultaneously bend both knees, lower your hips, and lower your body until your knee almost touches the floor.
• Then push through your front foot, lift yourself, and bring your rear leg back to your starting position.
• Change and repeat with the other side of your body to complete a set.

Tips:

1. Try the movement with your hands over your head.
2. Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand while doing the movement to make them challenging and help burn more calories. But only after mastering the technique. Always start with lighter free weights and build on from there.

Walking Lunge

Walking lunges is a simple movement, yet they are some of the most effective lunge variations for targeting your glutes and hamstrings.

The movement activates many muscles, putting pressure on your cardiovascular system.

Steps to follow

• Stand upright, feet at shoulder width, and hands on your hips or hands by your side.
• Take a step forward and shift your weight into your front heel
• Bend your knees, drop your hips and lower your body to go into a lunge, ensuring your knees are at 90 degrees.
• Pause briefly just before your back knee touches the floor, then.
• Move your back foot forward while keeping the front foot stationary, and repeat the movement.
• Continue alternating your leg and body positions and go into a lunge with each forward move.
• Continue the forward walking movement, making 10-12 reps on each leg for a set. Aim for 2-3 sets to complete a session.

Tips

• Hold dumbbells in each hand to help build your grip strength.
• Hold dumbbells in the front rack position or on your back to challenge your balance and activate all your major core muscles.
• Take shorter steps if you intend to emphasize your quads.

Curtsy Lunge

The curtsy lunge, aka reverse crossover lunge, is one of the best lunge variations for targeting and working your outer and inner thigh and gluteal muscles to help you build a firm butt.

Crossing your legs over during the movement helps to emphasize your gluteal muscles.

Steps to follow

• Stand upright, feet at shoulder-width, and arms by your sides.
• Put your weight into your left foot, step back, cross your left leg with your right foot, and lower your body as if doing a curtsy. Allow your arms to meet above your chest, and keep your chest forward. Keep your back straight and your abs tight.
• Keep lowering until your front leg is parallel to the floor.
• Extend your knees and return to your starting position
• Change positions and repeat with your other leg

Tip:
Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell at your chest with both hands while doing the movement to make them challenging and help burn more calories. But only do that after mastering the technique. Always start with a lighter weight and build on from there.

Front Foot Elevated Lunge

Elevating your leg during the lunge movement increases the range of motion and emphasizes the hamstrings. The position forces your quads to work harder, helping to strengthen your quad and core muscles.

Front foot elevated lunges are one of the best lunge variations for improving knee stability and are some of the best movements that can prepare your body for ski vacations.

You will need about 3-6 inches high box, an aerobics step, or an elevated platform of similar height.

Steps to follow

• Place one foot on the box. Ensure your foot is flat on the surface and shift your weight into the ball of the other foot.
• Tighten your abs, keep your back straight and push your front knee forward and ahead of your toes.
• Bend your knees and lower into a lunge until your back knee barely touches the floor.
• Push through your front foot, extend your knees and return to your starting position.
• Switch and go through the movement with the other side of your body.

Tip:

1. Ensure your front heel stays in contact with the floor, and keep your toes and knees aligned throughout the movement.
2. Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand while doing the movement to make them challenging and help burn more calories. But only after mastering the technique. Always start with lighter free weights and build on from there.

Rear Foot Elevated Lunge

The rear foot elevated lunge, aka Bulgarian split squat, is one of the best lung variations for building hip strength and mobility.

The movement requires back-leg flexibility and mobility, engages your quads and glutes, and stretches your hamstrings and hip flexors.

The Bulgarian split squat is one of the best lunge variations for bad knees. The movement can help correct muscle imbalance by allowing you to concentrate more on your weaker side

Steps to follow to do the rear foot elevated lunge or Bulgarian Split Squat

Deadlift Lunge

The deadlift lunge combines the forward lunge with the deadlift exercise. It is one of the best lunge variations for working all your lower body muscles.

Deadlift lunges will target your quads, glutes, and hamstrings and challenge your core, stability, and balance.

You will need a pair of dumbbells for the exercise.

Steps to follow

• Grab a dumbbell in each hand and stand upright with your feet close to each other, ensuring your palms face each other.
• Take a long forward step and immediately bend your knees to go into a lung. Simultaneously lower your torso toward your front thigh and bring the weights as close as possible to the floor. Ensure you keep your back flat.
• Push through your front heel, lift your torso, and return your leg to get into an upright position.
• Repeat 8-10 reps on one side. Switch sides and repeat 8-10 reps with the other leg to complete a set.
• Aim for 1-3 sets per side to complete a session.

Jumping Lunge

Jumping lunges are plyometric high-intensity interval training for building explosive power, balance, and speed. They are one of the best bodyweight lunge variations for building strength and burning calories.

Steps to follow

• Stand upright with feet shoulder-width apart and engage your core.
• Take a long forward step, keeping your arms by your sides.
• Bend your knees and lower your body to go into a lunge.
• Slightly lean forward, contract your core muscles, and push your weight down.
• Extend your knees and hips and jump into the air, and as you do so, switch leg positions by bringing your back leg forward and vice versa. Switch arm positions in the same manner as you jump.
• Land softly, go into another lunge, and immediately prepare to do another jump.
• Continue with the lunge-jump combination to reach 60 seconds of repetitions per set

Slider Lunge

The slider lunge is one of the simplest but most effective lunge variations for improving lower-body strength.

Slider lunges are also one of the best lunge variations for improving the range of motion and strength in hip flexion, hip abduction, and hip extension and help boost flexibility, strength, and coordination.

You will need Valslides (plastic sliding workout discs), furniture or carpet sliders, or something similar for the exercise.

Steps to follow

• Stand upright with feet hip-width apart.
• Place the slider under one foot.
• Use your feet to push the slider back until you stretch your hips fully and your knee almost touching the floor.
• Brace your core, push the slider down with your foot and pull your leg back to your starting position
• Repeat
• Switch sides and go through the motions with the other leg

Final words from LiveLIfe

Lunges are some of the most effective ways to target and work your lower body muscles. They are bodyweight exercises that many will find safe to do.

The many lunge variations in the article can add variety to your workout and help you to achieve your goals quickly.

Your leg days should not be that boring if you add some to your training regimen