Legs · Bodyweight
Forward Lunge
How to do the forward lunge, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Lunge
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Stand with feet hip-width apart. Step forward with one leg and lower your hips until both knees are bent at about 90 degrees. Push through the front heel to return to standing, then repeat on the other side.
- 1Front-leg quad and glute working as you lower
- 2Chest tall and core braced
- 3A drive through the front heel to stand back up
Common mistakes
- Letting the front knee cave inward or stepping too narrow
- Leaning your torso forward excessively
- Slamming the back knee into the floor
Muscles worked
The forward lunge mainly works the quads and glutes, with the hamstrings and calves assisting.
- QuadsPrimary
- GlutesPrimary
- HamstringsSupport
- CalvesSupport
- Lower BackMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
- Lower AbsMinor
- AdductorsMinor
- Hip FlexorsMinor
Kovo programs the forward 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.