Legs
Squat to Curtsy Lunge
A squat, then a curtsy lunge where one leg steps back and across behind the other. It works your quads and the sides of your glutes, and it tests your balance.
- Works
- Glutes, quads, adductors, core
- Equipment
- No equipment
- Load
- Bodyweight
How to do it
- 1Stand with your feet about hip width apart and your hands together at your chest.
- 2Squat down, hips back and chest up, then stand back up.
- 3Step one foot back and across behind the other, like a curtsy, and bend both knees until your back knee is close to the floor.
- 4Push through your front heel to stand, bring your feet back to hip width, and squat again. Curtsy with the other leg next time.
Cues
- Front knee stays in line with your front foot.
- Hips face forward as you step back.
- Push up through your front heel.
Common mistakes
- Front knee caving in. Keep your front knee pointing the same way as your toes. If it gets pulled in, don't step back so far across.
- Twisting your hips. Keep both hips facing forward. Step back and across only as far as you can without turning.
- Dropping into the lunge. Lower with control so your back knee doesn't bang the floor.
Easier
Make the curtsy smaller and don't go as low, or rest a hand on a wall or chair for balance.
Harder
Hold a dumbbell at your chest, or pause for 1 second at the bottom of each lunge.
Try it: 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps, alternating sides, or 30 seconds on and 30 off.
What does a curtsy lunge work?
Your glutes, especially the sides of your glutes, plus your quads and inner thighs. Stepping back and across challenges your hips and balance in a way a regular lunge doesn't.
