Try the Reverse Lunge to High Knee

Today, we’re focusing on a very effective fitness and cardio exercise that strengthens and tones your legs: reverse lunges to high knee. Learn everything you need to know about this exercise, including how to do it perfectly. It’s so easy that anyone can do it!

How to do the reverse lunge to high knee correctly

Taken from traditional lunges, reverse lunges to high knee are easy to do, even if you’re a newbie to exercise. But first, you need to learn how to do this movement correctly, because it requires a certain amount of coordination. The FizzUp trainer breaks down each step of this exercise to help you do it correctly and get faster results.

• Starting position: Stand with your arms at your sides. Keep your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Step 1: Take a large step backward as you bend both knees so that they form a 90° angle. Your front thigh should be parallel to the floor and your calf should be perpendicular to the floor. The opposite is true for your back leg.
• Step 2: In a single movement, bring your back leg forward and your knee up to your torso as if you were trying to knee something.
• Step 3: Slowly return to the starting position, then continue with the other leg to complete one repetition.

Common difficulties and tips from the FizzUp trainer

After having broken down the exercise, it’s worth taking a look at the frequent difficulties people have with this exercise and to show you the tricks to help you avoid them.

“It’s hard to keep my balance”: The key to finding the right balance is to take the exercise seriously and to not do it too fast. You can also move your arms along with your legs. Once you’re more comfortable, you can pick up the pace.

“How far back does my foot need to go?”: Keep in mind that both your legs should form a 90° angle with your thighs and calves. This way, you’ll naturally figure out how far back your foot needs to go.

Which muscles does the reverse lunge to high knee work?

This bodyweight exercise mostly helps strengthen your lower body by using several leg muscles to effectively firm your thighs and tone your legs. Here’s a list of the muscles you’ll mainly be working.

• Quads: This muscle is the biggest one in the human body. You need it in order to walk and it supports most of your body weight. It’s located in the front part of your thighs.
• Glutes: These muscles include the gluteus minimus, gluteus medius and gluteus maximus. When you work them, you’ll get a firm and round behind.

• Hamstrings: These are the hip flexor and extensor muscles in the back side of your thighs. They’re known as one of the muscle groups that are most frequently involved in sports injuries. That’s why strengthening them is vital.
• Iliopsoas: This muscle attaches your legs to your torso (i.e. your spine). It’s important to keep this muscle strong because it plays a role in your balance and makes a wide range of exercises easier.

Variations and alternatives to this exercise

To keep your workout fun and interesting, the FizzUp trainer has included a few lunge variations in his workout program. They all effectively work your leg and glute muscles. Here are two examples:

Forward lunge: This exercise is similar to reverse lunges to high knee, except that you’ll take a step forward instead of backward. What’s more, you don’t have to bring your knee up to your torso. Make sure you don’t do this exercise too quickly.

Side lunge: Start in the standing position, then take a large step to your left. Next, bend your knee and lower your body as far as you can by bringing your glutes close to your calves. Lastly, exhale as you come back up into the starting position. Repeat the exercise with the right side of your body.

What are the benefits of this exercise?

The reverse lunge to high knee is a worthwhile bodyweight exercise because it strengthens your leg muscles to shrink your thighs and tone your behind. That’s why this exercise is excellent if you want to slim down your physique and get perfect glutes. It also makes a perfect supplement to squats. So don’t wait! Try the FizzUp online fitness training program now!