Legs · Bodyweight
Forward Pulse Lunge with Hands Overhead
How to do the forward pulse lunge with hands overhead, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- Lunge
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Step forward into a lunge with both knees bent near 90 degrees and reach both arms straight overhead. Hold the lunge and pulse a few small inches up and down through the bottom range, keeping your arms locked overhead, then step back and switch legs.
- 1Feel your front quad and glute working through the small pulses
- 2Keep your arms reaching tall and your ribs down
- 3Stay tall through your spine with weight in your front heel
Common mistakes
- Don't let your front knee collapse inward
- Avoid arching your lower back as you reach overhead
- Don't let your torso pitch forward over your front leg
Muscles worked
The forward pulse lunge with hands overhead mainly works the quads and glutes, with the hamstrings, lower back, upper abs, lower abs, calves, and front delts assisting.
- QuadsPrimary
- GlutesPrimary
- HamstringsSupport
- Lower BackSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- Lower AbsSupport
- CalvesSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- TricepsMinor
- LatsMinor
- Upper TrapsMinor
- Mid TrapsMinor
- Lower TrapsMinor
- ObliquesMinor
- Side DeltsMinor
- AdductorsMinor
- Hip FlexorsMinor
Kovo programs the forward pulse lunge with hands overhead 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.