Curtsy Lunge
Holding dumbbells at your sides, you step one foot back and across behind the other leg, as in a curtsy, and lower down, training the glutes and quads of the front leg.
- Primary muscles
- Glutes, Quads
- Secondary
- Adductors, Abductors, Hamstrings
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weight × reps
Loads from YouTube only when you press play. The video is by an independent creator.
Why do it
The crossed step is what sets this lunge apart: it puts your front hip in a slightly crossed position, so the front glute tends to work harder than in a straight reverse lunge. It suits beginners with decent balance and anyone wanting more glute focus from a single-leg move. The narrow base makes balance harder, so start light, with dumbbells you can hold steady. Keep your hips facing forward; the point is the crossed position, not a twist.
How to do it
Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand at your sides.
Step one foot back and across behind the other leg, as if curtsying, and lower until your front thigh is about parallel to the floor.
Keep your hips and chest facing forward and your front knee over your toes.
Push through the front heel to return to standing, then switch sides. The crossed step shifts the work to the glute of the front leg.
Common mistakes
Twisting your hips to the side
Letting your hips turn toward the back leg turns it into an ordinary reverse lunge with a twist. Keep both hips and your chest facing forward.
Front knee collapsing inward
The crossed stance pulls the front knee toward the midline. Keep it tracking over your toes, and shorten the crossover step if it keeps caving in.
Pushing off the back foot
Driving up through the back toes takes work away from the front leg. Push through your front heel and let the back foot just help you balance.
Sets, reps and progression
How many sets you do and how close to failure you take them depend on your goal and your week, not on the exercise. These guides cover it:
Alternatives that train the same thing
Same movement, a different angle or piece of equipment.
