Bodyweight Walking Lunge

Quads
Glutes
Calves
Glutes
Hamstrings

Equipment: Bodyweight

New to this

Your first bodyweight walking lunge

What weight should I start with on the bodyweight walking lunge?

No weight for the first few sessions. 2 sets of 10 steps per leg, so 20 steps total per set.

Expect your legs to be sore for 2 or 3 days after the first session even if squats never made you sore. Lunges load the muscle in a stretched position, which produces more soreness at the same effort.

Once 3 sets of 12 per leg feel steady, hold a 15 or 20 lb dumbbell in each hand.

What usually goes wrong on the bodyweight walking lunge?

Your front knee shoots way past your toes. Take a longer step. A short step puts the load on your knee; a long one puts it on your glutes and quads.

Your back knee slams the floor. Lower until it's an inch off the ground and stop there.

You wobble sideways on every step. Look at a fixed point 10 feet ahead and step so your feet land on two parallel lines, not on a tightrope.

If you have no floor space

These are all single-leg exercises done in place. The split squat is the same position without traveling, and the Bulgarian version adds range by putting your back foot on a bench.

How to do it

Begin standing with your feet shoulder width apart and your hands on your hips.
Step forward with one leg, flexing the knees to drop your hips. Descend until your rear knee nearly touches the ground. Your posture should remain upright, and your front knee should stay above the front foot.
Drive through the heel of your lead foot and extend both knees to raise yourself back up.
Step forward with your rear foot, repeating the lunge on the opposite leg.