Quads exercise
Barbell Lateral LungeHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Also works
- Hamstrings
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Level
- Intermediate
How to do it
How do you do the Barbell Lateral Lunge?
- Stand tall with your feet together and the bar on your upper back.
- Take a big step straight out to the side with your right foot, toes forward.
- Sit your hips back and down over your right foot, keeping your left leg straight.
- Keep your back flat and your heels down.
- Push off your right foot to stand and bring it back in, then repeat or switch sides.
Cues
- Sit back, not just down.
- Knee over your toes.
- Push the floor away to come back.
Common mistakes
- Taking too short a step, so the knee shoots forward.
- Letting the knee cave in.
- Rounding your back to get lower.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
The version in our demo
A side lunge with a barbell on the back: a big step out to the side, the hips sitting back and down over the stepping leg while the other leg stays straight.
Starting position
Stand tall with the feet together, bar high on the upper back (on the traps), grip just outside the shoulders, elbows down.
The movement
Step the right foot straight out to the side, about twice shoulder width, toes forward, and land flat. Sit the hips back and down over the right foot, the right knee bending over the second toe, the left leg straight with its foot flat. Hinge forward with a flat back as far as you need to keep the bar over your feet. Push off the right foot, stand up and bring it back beside the left.
Breathing
Breathe in and brace as you step and sink, breathe out as you push back.
Tempo
0.6 s out, 1.4 s down, 0.3 s pause, 1.2 s up, 0.6 s in, 0.4 s standing.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bent knee at the bottom | 110° over the second toe (3–4 cm inside the foot line) | 90–115° | |
| Straight leg | knee 4–11° | ≤ 15°, foot flat | |
| Trunk from vertical at the bottom | 50–55° (just enough to keep the bar over the feet) | 40–60°, flat back | |
| Hips | 14–17 cm inside the stepping foot, hip joint 41–48 cm off the floor | over the stepping leg | |
| Both heels | down | 0 cm lift |
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Barbell Lateral Lunge is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
Sources
- ACE Exercise Library, "Lateral Lunge" (step out to the side, sit the hips back over the stepping leg, the other leg straight, heels down)
- Eleiko, "Lateral Lunge, Alternating - Barbell" (bar across the upper back, step to the side, both heels planted)
- Catalyst Athletics, "Lateral Lunge" (a hip and adductor strength and stability exercise)
- NSCA, Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, 4th ed. (2016), ch. 15
