Barbell Walking Lunge
Trains the Quads.
- Equipment
- A barbell and a rack
- Mechanic
- Compound
- Force
- Push
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
- Set a barbell across your upper back as for a squat and unrack it.
- Step away from the rack into clear space, feet together.
- Take a long step forward and lower until the back knee is just above the floor.
- Keep the torso upright and the bar level across your back.
- Drive through the front foot to stand, bringing the back foot through into the next step.
- Finish the set walking in one direction, then rack the bar rather than lunging back to it.
Common mistakes
- Walking away from the rack without checking the space. A barbell on the back and a set that travels means the end of the set happens somewhere you were not standing when you started.
- Letting the bar tip as the hips drop. One side dipping is the trunk failing to hold level, and under a bar that is a rotation the lower back absorbs.
- Taking the same load as a static lunge. Walking removes the pause between repetitions and adds a balance demand at every step, so the load that works is lower.
- Turning around under the bar to lunge back. Turning is the moment the load is least controlled; walking in one direction and racking is the version that ends predictably.