Exercise guide · Intermediate · Compound

Walking Lunge: How to Do It & Muscles Worked

The walking lunge steps forward into a lunge on alternating legs, travelling across the floor. It trains the quads and glutes one leg at a time and challenges balance, which makes it useful for fixing side-to-side differences.

Primary muscles
Glutes
Secondary muscles
Quads , Calves , Hamstrings
Equipment
Body Weight
Level · type
Intermediate · Compound

Written by the FitStack training team. Last reviewed .

Demonstration of the walking lunge
Front view: muscles worked by the walking lunge. Primary: glutes. Secondary: quads, calves and hamstrings.
Back view: muscles worked by the walking lunge. Primary: glutes. Secondary: quads, calves and hamstrings.
Primary Secondary

How to do the walking lunge

  1. Step 1: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
  2. Step 2: Take a step forward with your right leg, lowering your body into a lunge position.
  3. Step 3: Keep your torso upright and your front knee aligned with your ankle.
  4. Step 4: Push off with your right foot and bring your left foot forward, stepping into a lunge position with your left leg.
  5. Step 5: Continue alternating legs and walking forward, maintaining a controlled and steady pace.
  6. Step 6: Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Form cues

  • Take a long enough step that both knees bend to about 90 degrees at the bottom.
  • Lower the back knee straight down until it almost touches the floor.
  • Keep your torso tall and push through the front heel to bring the back leg through.
  • Walk in a straight line with your feet hip width apart, not on a tightrope.

Common walking lunge mistakes

  • Short, choppy steps.

    Fix: Lengthen the stride so your front shin stays fairly vertical.

  • Feet in a single line, which ruins balance.

    Fix: Keep the feet on two separate tracks, about hip width apart.

  • Pushing off the back foot instead of the front leg.

    Fix: Drive up with the front leg and let the back leg follow.

Sets, reps and programming

Program lunges by steps per leg: 3 sets of 8 to 12 steps per leg, with dumbbells held at your sides. They work well after your main squat or hinge.

Suggested sets, reps and rest for the walking lunge by training goal
Goal Sets Reps Rest Effort
Strength 3–5 3–6 3–5 min 1–3 reps in reserve
Muscle growth 3–4 6–12 2–3 min 1–2 reps in reserve
Muscular endurance 2–3 12–20 1–2 min 1–3 reps in reserve

Ranges follow the ACSM position stand on progression in resistance training. Muscle grows across a wide range of loads when sets end close to failure (Schoenfeld et al., 2017), longer rests between heavy sets support strength and size (Schoenfeld et al., 2016), and stopping a rep or two short of failure works about as well as training to failure (Grgic et al., 2022). Estimate your working weights with the strength calculators.

Variations and progressions

Walking Lunge alternatives

More exercises that train the glutes as their main target:

Walking Lunge FAQs

Are walking lunges good for glutes?

Yes. A longer stride and a slight forward lean of the torso shift more of the work to the glutes; a shorter stride with an upright torso shifts it to the quads.

Why do lunges hurt my knees?

Often the step is too short or the front knee caves inward. Try a longer stride, keep the knee in line with your toes, or switch to reverse lunges, which most people find easier on the knees.

More glutes exercises

See the best glute exercises, ranked →

Sources

  1. American College of Sports Medicine. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(3):687-708.
  2. Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. high-load resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(12):3508-3523.
  3. Schoenfeld BJ, Pope ZK, Benik FM, et al. Longer interset rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men. J Strength Cond Res. 2016;30(7):1805-1812.
  4. Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Orazem J, Sabol F. Effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure or non-failure on muscular strength and hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sport Health Sci. 2022;11(2):202-211.

Step-by-step instructions and demonstration media are from the ExerciseDB exercise dataset; cues, mistakes, programming and FAQs are written by FitStack.

This guide is general fitness information, not medical advice. Stop if an exercise causes pain and speak to a doctor or physiotherapist about injuries or health conditions before starting a new programme.