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Exercises

Reverse lunge alternatives: machines, dumbbells and bodyweight

Published October 23, 2026

The best reverse lunge alternative is the split squat: same stance, same one-leg work, but your feet stay planted, so there is no stepping to balance or to bother your knees. On a machine, use the single-leg leg press or the Smith machine Bulgarian split squat. For more quads, do forward lunges; for more glutes, step-ups; and once bodyweight is easy, skater squats.

What a reverse lunge alternative has to replace

The reverse lunge trains your quads and glutes one leg at a time. Stepping back keeps most of your weight on the front heel, and the load is hardest at the bottom, with your back knee near the floor and your front knee deeply bent.

A good replacement keeps one leg doing most of the work through that same deep bend.

How to do the reverse lunge

Machines and cables

The usual answer to "what machine replaces lunges": train one leg with something holding you steady.

Machine that replaces reverse lunges

Single-Leg Leg Press

Quads

One foot drives the platform with your back supported, so you keep the one-leg work of a lunge with no balance at all. Feet higher on the platform shift it toward your glutes, lower toward your quads.

How to do it

  1. Sit in the press and set one foot in the middle of the platform, the other resting on the floor or frame.
  2. Bend your working knee and let the platform come back toward you with control until the knee is well bent and your hip stays on the seat.
  3. Press through that one foot to straighten the leg without twisting your pelvis.
  4. Finish all reps on one side, then switch.

Cues

  • Hips square
  • Same depth on both legs
  • Smooth, not jerky

Common mistakes

  • Rotating your hips to finish the rep: drop the weight until both hips stay flat on the seat.
  • Starting with your stronger leg and doing extra reps: match the weaker side's reps on both.
Build a session with Single-Leg Leg Press

Heavier one-leg swap on rails

Smith Machine Bulgarian Split Squat

Quads, Glutes

The rails hold the bar steady, so you can load one leg far heavier than on a reverse lunge. Pick it once bodyweight or light dumbbells stop being hard.

How to do it

  1. Put a bench behind the Smith machine, set the bar on your upper back, and rest one foot on the bench behind you.
  2. Place the front foot far enough forward that your shin stays close to vertical at the bottom.
  3. Unhook the bar and lower straight down until your back knee is close to the floor.
  4. Drive through the front heel to stand up, finish the set, then switch legs.

Cues

  • Front foot well forward
  • Straight down on the track
  • Heel stays heavy

Common mistakes

  • Setting the front foot too close so the knee travels far forward: move it out before you load the bar.
  • Pushing off the back foot: it only rests on the bench.
Build a session with Smith Machine Bulgarian Split Squat

Cable swap that steadies you

Cable Split Squat

Quads, Glutes

The low cable pulling the bar out in front of you gives you something to balance against while your feet stay planted. A good gym swap when stepping back makes you wobble.

How to do it

  1. Clip a straight bar to the bottom pulley, hold it in both hands with an overhand grip and back away from the stack.
  2. Step into a long split stance, front foot flat and back heel up, with the bar hanging in front of you and the cable pulling forward.
  3. Keep your chest tall and lower your back knee straight toward the floor until your front thigh is about level.
  4. Push through your whole front foot to stand, finish the reps on that leg, then switch.

Cues

  • Stay tall against the pull
  • Straight down, straight up
  • Front heel heavy

Common mistakes

  • A stance so short your front heel lifts: lengthen it before the first rep.
  • Letting the cable pull you forward onto your toes: stand a little farther from the stack and stay tall.
Build a session with Cable Split Squat

Split stance, feet planted

Keep the reverse lunge's stance and drop the stepping. The Bulgarian is the harder version.

Same split stance, no stepping

Dumbbell Split Squat

Quads, Glutes

You hold the bottom position of a reverse lunge and just go up and down, feet planted. It is the swap when stepping back is the part that bothers your knees or balance.

How to do it

  1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and take a long step back with one foot, landing on the ball of that foot.
  2. Check your stance: feet about hip-width apart side to side, like two rails, and your front foot flat from heel to toes.
  3. Brace, then bend both knees and lower straight down until your back knee is a couple of inches from the floor.
  4. Push the floor away with your whole front foot and stand up to just short of locking out, without moving your feet.
  5. Do every rep on one leg, then switch, starting each set with your weaker side.

Cues

  • Elevator down, not forward
  • Front foot flat, heel down
  • Back knee nearly kisses the floor

Common mistakes

  • Feet on a tightrope: if you wobble, widen your feet sideways until each sits under its own hip.
  • Stance too short: if your front heel lifts at the bottom, slide the back foot further back before the next set.
  • Rocking forward instead of dropping: keep your weight between both feet and let the back knee travel straight down.
Build a session with Dumbbell Split Squat

Harder one-leg swap

Bulgarian Split Squat

Quads, Glutes

With your back foot on a bench, almost all the load sits on your front leg, so it is a clear step up from the reverse lunge with the same or lighter weight. It is hard even with bodyweight alone.

How to do it

  1. Stand about two of your own foot lengths in front of a knee-height bench, a dumbbell in each hand, and set your back foot laces-down on the bench.
  2. Shuffle your front foot until it sits straight under your hip line, hip-width from the back foot, so you are not balancing on a tightrope.
  3. Brace, then drop your back knee straight toward the floor until it almost touches and your front thigh is at or below parallel.
  4. Drive through your whole front foot and stand back up without pushing off the back leg.
  5. Finish every rep on one side before you switch, and start each set with your weaker leg.

Cues

  • Back knee drops straight down
  • Whole front foot stays heavy
  • Back leg is a kickstand, not a motor

Common mistakes

  • Front foot too close or too far: if your front heel lifts, step it forward; if you feel a stretch in the front of the back hip and little else, step it back.
  • Bench too high: if your back knee cannot get near the floor, drop to a lower box or a stack of plates.
  • Pushing off the back foot: keep the back toes relaxed on the bench and slow the lowering until the front leg does the work.
Build a session with Bulgarian Split Squat

Other lunges and step-ups

Change the direction of the step to shift the work toward your quads or glutes.

Glute-heavy swap with a box

Step-Up

Quads, Glutes

Driving up onto a knee-high box trains the same front leg and works your glutes hard at the top. Keep a slight forward lean.

How to do it

  1. Stand facing a sturdy bench or box at about knee height, a dumbbell hanging at each side.
  2. Plant your working foot flat in the middle of the box, close enough that your heel is fully on it.
  3. Lean your chest slightly over that knee, then push down through the whole foot and stand tall on top.
  4. Let the trailing foot come up beside the working one without pushing off the floor to get there.
  5. Lower the trailing foot back to the floor slowly, keeping the working leg bent and in charge the whole way.
  6. Do every rep on one leg before switching, and start with your weaker side.

Cues

  • Back foot is a passenger
  • Whole foot on the box
  • Lower in two to three seconds

Common mistakes

  • Bouncing off the back foot: lift the toes of the trailing foot before each rep so it cannot help, and lighten the dumbbells until you can.
  • Box too high: if your hips shift sideways or you have to lurch to get up, drop to a lower box until you can rise straight.
  • Dropping down: if the trailing foot lands with a thud, you skipped the lowering; slow it down and count it.
Build a session with Step-Up

Swap when you have room to walk

Walking Lunge

Quads, Glutes

Stepping forward into each rep instead of back adds a balance challenge and more quad work. Use it in a hallway or gym lane with a plate overhead or dumbbells at your sides.

How to do it

  1. Hold a weight plate overhead with straight arms, or a dumbbell in each hand at your sides, and stand tall with your feet about hip-width apart in a clear lane.
  2. Step forward with one foot, far enough that your front shin stays roughly vertical when you lower.
  3. Drop straight down until your back knee is an inch or two above the floor, keeping your torso upright and the weight steady.
  4. Push through the whole front foot to stand up, and bring the back foot forward past the front one into your next step.
  5. Keep alternating legs until you have done the planned number of steps on each side.

Cues

  • Down like an elevator, not forward like a skier
  • Two train tracks, not a tightrope
  • Let the back knee kiss, not crash

Common mistakes

  • Stepping in a straight line, one foot in front of the other: keep your feet about hip-width apart side to side so you have a stable base.
  • Taking short, choppy steps: lengthen your stride until your front knee stops traveling far past your toes and your back knee can reach the floor.
  • Pausing upright between steps to rebalance: if you need to stop, the weight is too heavy for now; go lighter and keep moving.
Build a session with Walking Lunge

Most quad-heavy lunge

Dumbbell Forward Lunge

Quads, Glutes

Stepping forward and pushing back to the start loads your front knee more than stepping back does, so it biases your quads. Hold one dumbbell at your chest.

How to do it

  1. Hold a dumbbell upright at your chest, cupping one end with both hands.
  2. Step forward and drop into the lunge until both knees are bent near 90 degrees.
  3. Drive off the front foot back to standing.
  4. Alternate legs each rep, keeping the torso upright.

Cues

  • Tall chest
  • Step out, push back
  • Front knee over the middle of the foot

Common mistakes

  • Hopping back to the start: push back in one controlled move.
  • Letting the front knee cave inward on the push: keep it pointed over the toes.
Build a session with Dumbbell Forward Lunge

Glute swap with a crossing step

Dumbbell Curtsy Lunge

Quads, Glutes

Stepping back and across puts more stretch on the side of your front hip, so the glutes work more than in a straight reverse lunge.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall with your feet under your hips and a dumbbell in each hand held in front of your chest, elbows bent.
  2. Step your right foot back and across, landing it behind and outside your left heel on the ball of the foot.
  3. Bend both knees and sink straight down until your front thigh is close to parallel and your back knee hovers just off the ground.
  4. Keep your hips and chest facing forward, with your front knee pointing over your front toes.
  5. Push through the whole front foot to stand, bring the back foot home, and repeat on the same side or switch.

Cues

  • Hips square to the front
  • Sink down, not forward
  • Front knee over front toes

Common mistakes

  • Twisting your hips toward the back leg: step only as far across as you can while your belt buckle still faces forward.
  • Letting the front knee cave inward: push it out over your middle toes, and use lighter dumbbells until it stays there.
  • Shifting your weight onto the back foot: keep most of your weight on the front heel and midfoot, and let the back leg only balance you.
Build a session with Dumbbell Curtsy Lunge

Two legs, or harder bodyweight

Both feet down when balance is the problem, or a full one-leg squat when bodyweight lunges are too easy.

Two-leg swap if lunges are not working

Goblet Squat

Quads, Glutes

Both feet on the floor and one dumbbell at your chest. Pick it when every split stance feels unstable; it trains the same quads and glutes.

How to do it

  1. Pick up one dumbbell, stand it on end and cup the top plate in both palms so it rests against your breastbone.
  2. Set your feet a little wider than your hips with your toes turned out slightly, and point your elbows at the floor.
  3. Take a breath and brace, then sit straight down between your heels, letting your knees travel forward over your toes.
  4. Go as deep as you can while your heels stay down and the dumbbell stays against your chest; your elbows should finish just inside your knees.
  5. Drive your whole foot into the floor and stand up tall, then breathe and brace again before the next rep.

Cues

  • Dumbbell glued to your breastbone
  • Sit down between your heels
  • Elbows inside your knees at the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Letting the dumbbell drift away from your chest: your arms tire before your legs and you tip forward, so keep it pinned and pick a weight you can hold for the whole set.
  • Heels lifting at the bottom: stop the rep a little higher or put a small plate under each heel.
  • Knees falling inward on the way up: push them out toward your little toes and use your elbows as a guide at the bottom.
Build a session with Goblet Squat

Harder bodyweight swap

Skater Squat

Quads, Glutes

A one-leg squat to a knee touch with no weight: the next step once bodyweight reverse lunges feel easy.

How to do it

  1. Stand on one foot and bend the other knee so that foot is behind you, arms straight out in front as a counterweight.
  2. Push your hips back and lean your chest forward as you bend the standing knee.
  3. Lower until the back knee is just above the floor.
  4. Drive through your standing foot to stand tall; sets are per leg.

Cues

  • Arms forward as the counterweight
  • Chest leans, back stays flat
  • Back knee to a folded towel

Common mistakes

  • Only going down a few inches: put a folded towel or cushion where your knee should land and touch it every rep.
  • Letting the standing knee collapse inward: track it over your toes, and slow the lowering if it wobbles.
Build a session with Skater Squat

Hamstrings to pair with them

Each example session adds one exercise for the back of your legs.

Hamstrings, to pair with the swaps

Lying Leg Curl

Hamstrings

Lunges and their swaps mostly train the front of your thighs and your glutes. A curl covers the hamstrings in the gym session.

How to do it

  1. Set the machine so your knees line up with the pivot point when you lie face down, and move the ankle pad to sit on your lower calves, just above your heels.
  2. Lie flat with your kneecaps hanging just past the end of the bench, hold the handles and press your hips into the pad.
  3. Bend your knees and pull the pad up in a smooth arc until your heels are as close to your glutes as the machine allows.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top without letting your hips lift off the bench.
  5. Lower the pad over about two seconds until your legs are almost straight, and start the next rep before the stack touches down.

Cues

  • Hips glued to the pad
  • Heels to glutes
  • Slow on the way down

Common mistakes

  • Lifting your hips as the weight gets heavy: your lower back takes over and the hamstrings do less. Drop the load until your hips stay down on every rep.
  • Stopping short at the bottom: that cuts out the part of the rep where your hamstrings are longest. Let your legs come back to almost straight before you curl again.
  • Swinging the pad up: a kick from the bottom hands the hardest part of the rep to momentum. Count two seconds down and start each rep from a dead stop.
Build a session with Lying Leg Curl

Hamstrings and glutes with dumbbells

Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

Hamstrings, Glutes

The hinge to pair with a dumbbell leg day.

How to do it

  1. Stand with your feet about hip-width apart, one dumbbell per hand resting against the front of your thighs, palms facing you.
  2. Unlock your knees slightly, pull your shoulders down and back, and take a breath into your stomach.
  3. Push your hips straight back and let your chest tip forward, sliding the dumbbells down the front of your legs with your back flat and knees barely changing angle.
  4. Stop when your hamstrings are fully stretched and your hips will not travel back any farther, typically with the dumbbells somewhere between the knee and mid-shin.
  5. Drive your hips forward and squeeze your glutes to stand tall, finishing upright without leaning back.

Cues

  • Hips back, not down
  • Dumbbells skim your legs
  • Stand tall, don't lean back

Common mistakes

  • Bending the knees more as you go down: that turns the hinge into a squat; keep the knee bend you started with and let the hips do the moving.
  • Rounding the back to reach lower: end the rep where your hips stop going back, even if the dumbbells are only at your knees.
  • Letting the dumbbells drift forward: keep them brushing your thighs and shins so the load stays over your feet and off your lower back.
Build a session with Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

Glutes and hamstrings on the floor

Single-Leg Glute Bridge

Glutes

One-leg hip work to pair with the bodyweight session. Rest a kettlebell on your hips once bodyweight is easy.

How to do it

  1. Lie face up, both knees bent, feet flat and hip-width apart, heels about a hand's length from your glutes, arms by your sides or holding a kettlebell on your hips.
  2. Lift one foot and either hug that knee toward your chest or straighten the leg in line with the other thigh.
  3. Press your lower back gently toward the floor and push down through the heel of the planted foot.
  4. Lift your hips until your shoulders, hips and working knee form one line, keeping both hip bones at the same height.
  5. Hold the top for a second with the glute squeezed, then lower slowly until your hips just touch the floor, and repeat.

Cues

  • Push the floor away with your heel
  • Hips level, like a tray
  • Ribs down at the top

Common mistakes

  • Letting the free side drop or twist: if the hip on the lifted-leg side sags, shorten the range or hug the free knee in tighter until you can keep it level.
  • Arching the lower back to get higher: stop when your hips line up with your shoulders and knee; any higher comes from your spine, not your glute.
  • Feet too close or too far: too close and your quads take over, too far and your hamstring cramps; move the foot until you feel the glute working most.
Build a session with Single-Leg Glute Bridge

Example sessions without the reverse lunge

Session 1

Gym, ready to go heavier

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets22 a week
  • Per workout~35 min
  • EquipmentSmith Machine, Dumbbells, Leg Press, Lying Leg Curl

You train in a gym and reverse lunges with bodyweight or light dumbbells no longer challenge you.

The Smith machine Bulgarian split squat loads one leg heavy at lower reps. Walking lunges keep a stepping lunge in the session, the single-leg leg press adds volume with no balance, and a leg curl trains the hamstrings. 11 working sets.

Legs
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Smith Machine Bulgarian Split Squat1 warm-up set firstSets are per leg. 3 × 6–10 2 2:30 min
Walking LungeReps are per leg. 3 × 10–12 2 90 s
Single-Leg Leg PressSets are per leg. 2 × 12–15 1 90 s
Lying Leg Curl 3 × 10–15 1 1 min
How to run it
Twice a week on non-consecutive days. Start every one-leg set with your weaker side.
How to progress
When every set reaches the top of its range at the RIR shown, add the smallest weight jump next session and start again at the bottom of the range.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Stepping back bothers your knees

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets26 a week
  • Per workout~30 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Flat Bench

You have dumbbells and a low box, and the step back on reverse lunges leaves your knees sore or unsteady.

The split squat keeps the stance with your feet planted, the step-up from a low box adds glute work, and the goblet squat trains both legs together. A dumbbell Romanian deadlift covers the hamstrings with little knee bend. Every set stops 2 reps short of failure. 13 working sets.

Legs
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Dumbbell Split Squat1 warm-up set firstSets are per leg. 4 × 8–12 2 90 s
Step-UpStart with a low box. 3 × 10–12 2 75 s
Goblet Squat 3 × 10–15 2 75 s
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift 3 × 10–12 2 90 s
How to run it
Twice a week. Work only through the depth you can do without pain, and add depth before weight.
How to progress
Add an inch of depth or a rep each week. Once every set reaches the top of its range at full depth, move up a dumbbell.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Bodyweight, but lunges are too easy

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets30 a week
  • Per workout~25 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells

You train at home with no weights, and you can do 25 reverse lunges a leg without much trouble.

Each lift is harder than a reverse lunge with no added weight. The skater squat is a true one-leg squat, the Bulgarian split squat with your back foot raised behind you puts nearly all the load on one leg, and the single-leg glute bridge covers the back of your legs. 10 working sets.

Legs
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Skater SquatSets are per leg. 4 × 5–10 1 90 s
Bulgarian Split SquatBodyweight, back foot raised behind you. 3 × 12–20 1 1 min
Single-Leg Glute BridgeSets are per leg. 3 × 12–20 1 1 min
How to run it
Two or three times a week. Take each set within one rep of failure.
How to progress
Add reps to the top of each range, then slow the lowering to four seconds, then lower the knee touch on the skater squat.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What machine replaces reverse lunges?

The single-leg leg press is the closest: one leg at a time with your back supported. The Smith machine Bulgarian split squat also trains one leg hard with the bar on rails.

How do you do lunges on a leg press?

Do the single-leg leg press: one foot in the middle of the platform, the other resting off it, and press with that one leg. Finish all reps, then switch.

What can be done instead of lunges?

Split squats, step-ups and Bulgarian split squats train the same quads and glutes one leg at a time. A goblet squat works if any split stance feels unstable.

How do you make a lunge more quad-focused?

Take a shorter step, stay upright, and let your front knee travel forward over your toes. Forward lunges load the quads more than reverse lunges.

What is a reverse lunge alternative for bad knees?

Try a split squat with your feet planted or a low step-up, and work only through the depth you can do without pain. Keep your weight on the front heel.

Are lunges a good leg workout?

Yes. They train your quads and glutes one leg at a time and show up a weaker side. Take sets close to failure and add load as they get easy.