If you stopped doing lunges because the balance requirement keeps you from using enough weight to actually build your legs, you’re going to love this fix. Whether you’re doing dumbbell lunges or barbell lunges, the way you step makes all the difference.
The biggest mistake people make on lunges is keeping their feet too narrow. They think every step has to move straight forward or straight back on a tightrope. The problem is, the second you add any meaningful weight, that narrow base of support makes balance almost impossible.
Watch Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson perform walking dumbbell lunges in this clip and pay attention to where his feet land. He doesn’t just step straight ahead. He steps up and slightly out with every rep. By the time he reaches the bottom of the lunge, his feet are several inches wider apart, giving him a much stronger base to push from.
That one adjustment can completely change the exercise.
The dumbbell lunge and barbell lunge are two of the best leg exercises you can do, but too many people abandon them for machines because they feel unstable. That’s a mistake. Lunges give you unilateral leg strength, athletic carryover, glute and quad development, and a benefit you simply don’t get from relying only on squat patterns.
Once you fix your balance, I’d suggest starting with reverse lunges whenever possible, especially if you deal with knee tendonitis or anterior knee pain. Reverse lunges tend to be more knee-friendly than forward lunges because they usually create less forward stress at the knee.
If you do perform forward lunges, don’t slide or reach the foot low into the ground. Step up, then place the foot down from above. As you’ll see in the full video linked to this Short, The Rock does exactly that. This helps reduce shearing stress on the knee while keeping the movement strong and controlled.
Fix the step, widen the base, and suddenly lunges stop feeling like a balance test and start feeling like the powerful leg builder they were always supposed to be.
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Jeff Cavaliere MSPT, CSCS served as both the head physical therapist and assistant strength coach for the New York Mets. Jeff earned his Masters of Physical Therapy and Bachelor’s of Physioneurobiology from the College of Health Sciences University of Connecticut Storrs. He is a certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).
