Legs · Bodyweight
Lunge
How to do the 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
See it in motion
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-degree angles. Push back to the starting position and repeat with the other leg.
- 1Feel your front leg's muscles working as you step and lower without weight
- 2Keep your chest up and core engaged
- 3Push through your front heel to return to standing
Common mistakes
- Avoid collapsing your knee inward or stepping too narrow
- Don't lean forward excessively
- Avoid locking your rear knee; maintain a soft bend
Muscles worked
The lunge mainly works the quads and glutes, with the hamstrings and calves assisting.
- QuadsPrimary
- GlutesPrimary
- HamstringsSupport
- CalvesSupport
- Lower BackMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
Kovo programs the lunge for you and tracks it every session.
The AI builds your whole program, drops the right lifts into each workout, and adjusts your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More quads exercises
- How to do the barbell squat
- How to do the split squat
- How to do the step-up
- How to do the squat
- How to do the bulgarian split squat
- How to do the dumbbell bulgarian split squat
Last reviewed April 2026.