Glutes
Curtsy to Reverse Lunge
A curtsy lunge and a reverse lunge with the same leg: first back and across, then straight back. It works your glutes and quads, and the curtsy brings in the side of your hips.
- Works
- Glutes, quads, adductors, hamstrings, core
- Equipment
- No equipment
- Load
- Bodyweight
How to do it
- 1Stand tall with your feet hip width apart, hands at your chest or on your hips.
- 2Step your right foot back and behind your left, like a curtsy, and bend both knees until your back knee is close to the floor. Push through your front foot to stand.
- 3Step the same right foot straight back into a reverse lunge, lowering until both knees are at about 90 degrees.
- 4Push through your front heel to stand. That's 1 rep. Do all your reps, then switch sides.
Cues
- Front knee tracks over your toes in both lunges.
- Keep your hips facing forward in the curtsy.
- Push through the heel of your front foot to stand.
Common mistakes
- Front knee caving in on the curtsy. Don't step too far across, and push your front knee out over your toes.
- Twisting your hips in the curtsy. Keep both hips pointing forward. A smaller step across helps.
- Dropping your chest forward. Chest up and core tight, so the work stays in your legs.
Easier
Take shorter steps and don't go as low, or hold a chair or wall for balance.
Harder
Keep the moving foot off the floor as it passes back through the middle, or take 3 seconds to lower into each lunge.
Try it: 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps per side, or 30 seconds on and 30 off.
What muscles do curtsy lunges work?
Mainly your glutes and quads. Stepping behind and across puts extra work on the side of your hip, the muscle that keeps your pelvis and knee steady. Your inner thighs help too.
