The reverse lunge with reach back pairs a lunge with an overhead reach: step one foot straight back and lower until your back knee hovers just above the floor, reaching both arms overhead and back as you go, then press through your front heel to return to the start. It needs no equipment, works six muscle groups when done with good form, and fits into a warm-up, a mobility circuit or a lower-body strength session, whether at home, in the gym or outdoors.

This guide accompanies our video lesson above. The video teaches the movement slowed down, so every cue is easy to follow, and mostly from the side: the one view that shows the reach going back rather than just up. Then it explains the muscles at work, the tempo and where the breath goes, and names the four most common mistakes, each with the cue that fixes it. Last come twelve repetitions at full speed, alternating legs, from all four camera angles, for you to follow along with.

How to do a reverse lunge with reach back, step by step

  1. Set up. Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart and your arms relaxed at your sides. Draw your shoulders back and engage your core.
  2. Step back and lower. Step one foot straight back and lower your hips until your front knee bends to 90 degrees and your back knee hovers just above the floor.
  3. Reach overhead and back. As you lower, raise both arms overhead and reach back, with your chest tall and your ribs down. The step, the reach and the descent together take about two seconds.
  4. Pause at the bottom. Stay there for one second, in control, with your front knee over your ankle.
  5. Press through the front heel. Press through the heel of your front foot to return to the start in about one second, bringing your arms down as you rise.
  6. Switch legs. Do the next repetition with the other leg, and keep alternating.

Muscles worked in a reverse lunge with reach back

The reverse lunge with reach back is a compound lower-body movement with an upper-body reach, and six muscle groups share the work: the quadriceps, glutes and hip abductors are its target muscles, with the quadriceps in the lead, and the shoulders, hamstrings and calves assist them.

  • Quadriceps: these four muscles across the front of the thigh (rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus intermedius and vastus medialis) lift you out of the bottom.
  • Glutes: the gluteus maximus drives your hips back up to standing.
  • Hip abductors: on the outer hip, the gluteus medius keeps your hips level and helps your front knee track straight.
  • Shoulders: the anterior deltoids, at the front of the shoulders, raise your arms overhead.
  • Hamstrings: from the back of the thigh, they steady you and assist the glutes as you rise.
  • Calves: they keep you steady on your front foot.

Tempo and breathing: 2-1-1

Every repetition follows the same rhythm and takes about four seconds, with the step and the reach counted in the way down and the arms coming down in the way up:

  • Down, 2 seconds: breathe in as you step back, reach and lower.
  • Pause, 1 second: at the bottom, with your back knee just above the floor.
  • Up, 1 second: breathe out as you press through your front heel and bring your arms down.

That rhythm is what turns movement into training: the slow way down and the pause keep your muscles working under control instead of letting momentum do the job. Keep the same tempo on every repetition, and don’t speed up as you tire.

4 common mistakes and how to fix them

  • Front knee drifting past the toes. If your front knee drifts past your toes, keep your front shin upright. Cue: “shin upright”.
  • Rounding the back. If your back rounds, lift your chest and your back straightens. Cue: “chest up, spine long”.
  • Arching the lower back. As you reach, keep your ribs down and your core braced, so your lower back does not arch. Cue: “ribs down, core braced”.
  • Losing balance. If you wobble, slow the descent and brace your core. Cue: “slow and steady”.

Sets, reps and variations

For general fitness, 2 to 4 sets of 8 to 15 repetitions, alternating legs, are typical, with 60 to 75 seconds of rest between sets. Adjust the volume and the rest to your fitness level and your goal. It is an intermediate exercise: if your balance is not yet steady, start with one of the easier options below. A good first set is the one in the video: twelve repetitions, six on each leg, at the 2-1-1 tempo.

  • Easier: don’t lower as far, keep one hand on a chair or a wall for balance, or leave out the overhead reach.
  • Harder: reach overhead with a light dumbbell or a medicine ball, work through a bigger range of motion, or slow the whole movement down.

Safety

Keep your front knee over your ankle and don’t let it collapse inward, keep your torso upright, and don’t arch your lower back as you reach. If you have a knee, hip or shoulder injury, consult a professional before doing this exercise, and use a smaller range of motion if your balance or mobility is limited.

Your turn

Play the video above and do twelve repetitions with the coach, alternating legs, at the speed you would really train: six on each leg make one set. If this lesson helped, subscribe to HealthyShape on YouTube for a new exercise lesson every week. Every exercise in the HealthyShape app carries the same muscle view and tempo guide you see in the video.