Legs · Dumbbell
Reverse Lunge
How to do the reverse lunge, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Dumbbell
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Lunge
- Mechanic
- Compound
See it in motion
How to do it
Take a large step backward, lowering your back knee towards the ground. Push through your front heel to return to the starting position. Alternate legs.
- 1Step backward and lower your back knee toward the floor, feeling your front glute and quad engage
- 2Keep your torso upright and your core tight for balance
- 3Push through the heel of your front foot to return to standing, feeling your glutes drive the movement
Common mistakes
- Don't lean forward or allow your front knee to collapse inward
- Avoid slamming your back knee into the ground or taking too short a step
- Don't let your front heel lift off the floor; keep your weight centered
Muscles worked
The reverse lunge mainly works the quads and glutes, with the hamstrings and calves assisting.
- QuadsPrimary
- GlutesPrimary
- HamstringsSupport
- CalvesSupport
- Lower BackMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
Kovo programs the reverse 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 lunge
- How to do the squat
- How to do the bulgarian split squat
Last reviewed April 2026.