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The alternating forward lunge is a lower-body exercise that strengthens your leg muscles and glutes, while also helping to boost your heart rate and burn fat. Alternating lunges are an effective bodyweight exercise that can be done anywhere, whether you’re at the gym or in your living room.

Here, I’ll show you how to do alternating forward lunges for stronger legs and a firmer backside!

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Table of Contents

Alternating Forward Lunge Instructions

Chris Freytag demonstrates Alternating Forward Lunges

Here’s how to do alternating lunges:

  1. Stand tall with your feet hip distance apart.
  2. Take a large step forward and lower your body toward the floor.  Both legs should be bent at a 90-degree angle at the bottom of the lunge.
  3. Push off the front leg to rise back up to start, and repeat on the other side.

Alternating Lunges are a great workout that you can do whether you are at the gym or in yoIf you find this exercise bothers your knees, try lunging forward onto a platform such as a step or a low bench. This will lessen the angle of the knee bend and the impact you make during the movement. If that still doesn’t help, practice a backward lunge instead.

Targets: glutes, quads, hamstrings

Alternating Forward Lunge Benefits

Adding alternating lunges to your workout routine comes with plenty of benefits, including:

  • Tones and shapes your legs and glutes: People often struggle to fire their glute muscles when performing traditional squats, but in a forward lunge, you are pushing off in a way that encourages those muscles to fire up and get to work.
  • Improves stability: Each lunge challenges your balance and coordination.
  • Engages your core: Keeping your abs tight during lunges helps build core strength.
  • Increases hip flexibility: The forward motion helps stretch your hip flexors.
  • Great for functional fitness: Lunges help improve everyday movements such as walking and climbing stairs.

Easy Ways to Incorporate Alternating Forward Lunges Into Your Workouts

To start, try adding 2-3 sets of alternating forward lunges, doing 10-12 reps per leg. You can incorporate alternating lunges into your own workouts, or add them to one of mine below!