Quads exercise
Lunge with TwistHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Also works
- Glutes
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
How do you do the Lunge with Twist?
- Stand tall with your hands together in front of your chest.
- Step forward into a lunge until both knees are bent to about 90°.
- Keeping your hips still, turn your chest and arms towards your front leg.
- Turn back to the middle.
- Push through your front foot to stand, then lunge with the other leg and turn the other way.
Cues
- Hips square, rotate from the ribs.
- Front knee over the front foot.
- Tall spine as you turn.
Common mistakes
- Letting the front knee wobble in during the turn.
- Swinging the arms fast instead of turning with control.
- Leaning forward over the front leg.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
The version in our demo
The dynamic warm-up version: a forward lunge, a controlled turn of the upper body towards the front leg at the bottom, back to the middle, then back to standing. Hands together in front of the chest (no weight).
Starting position
Stand tall, feet hip-width, hands together in front of the chest at about sternum height, elbows bent and out to the sides.
The movement
Step forward about 0.9 × leg length, land flat, and lower until both knees are about 90°, the back knee just above the floor and the back heel up. Keeping the hips and knees square and still, turn the chest, arms and head towards the front leg (right leg forward: turn right) about 45°. Turn back to the middle, then push through the front foot back to standing.
Breathing
Breathe in as you step and lower; breathe out as you turn; breathe in coming back to the middle; breathe out as you stand.
Tempo
0.7 s step, 0.8 s down, 0.6 s turn, 0.15 s hold, 0.55 s back to the middle, 0.55 s up, 0.5 s step back.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front knee at the bottom | 95° | 85–105° | |
| Rear knee at the bottom | 95–99° | 85–110° | |
| Rear knee above the floor (joint centre) | 7 cm | 2–10 cm | |
| Trunk turn towards the front leg | 45° | 30–60° | |
| Hips during the turn | square, no movement | ≤ 1 cm | |
| Trunk from vertical | 4° | 0–10° |
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 Lunge with Twist 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, "Forward Lunge with Twist" / lunge with rotation (lunge, then rotate the torso towards the front leg, hips square)
- NASM, dynamic warm-up guidance: "Lunge with rotation" (multi-planar warm-up: sagittal lunge plus transverse-plane trunk rotation, controlled tempo)
- NSCA, Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, 4th ed. (2016), ch. 15, forward step lunge (step about leg length, front knee over the front foot, trunk upright) and ch. 14 (dynamic warm-up).
