Legs · Barbell
Barbell Lunge
How to do the barbell lunge, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Lunge
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Rest a barbell across your upper back and stand with feet hip-width apart. Step forward with one leg and lower your hips until both knees are bent near 90 degrees. Push through your front heel to return to standing, then repeat on the other leg.
- 1Front-leg quad and glute working as you lower and rise
- 2Chest tall and core braced under the bar
- 3Drive coming from your front heel
Common mistakes
- Letting your front knee cave inward
- Leaning your torso forward
- Slamming your back knee into the floor
Muscles worked
The barbell lunge mainly works the quads and glutes, with the hamstrings and calves assisting.
- QuadsPrimary
- GlutesPrimary
- HamstringsSupport
- CalvesSupport
- Lower BackMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
Kovo programs the barbell lunge for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More quads exercises
- How to do the resistance band squat
- How to do the resistance band squat to press
- How to do the resistance band thruster
- How to do the resistance band squat walk
- How to do the barbell squat
- How to do the barbell bulgarian split squat
Last reviewed June 2026.