Barbell Walking Lunge
How to do the Barbell Walking Lunge
- 1
Begin standing with your feet shoulder width apart and a barbell across your upper back.
- 2
Step forward with one leg, flexing the knees to drop your hips. Descend until your rear knee nearly touches the ground. Your posture should remain upright, and your front knee should stay above the front foot.
- 3
Drive through the heel of your lead foot and extend both knees to raise yourself back up.
- 4
Step forward with your rear foot, repeating the lunge on the opposite leg.
How to program the Barbell Walking Lunge
Sets and reps
As a compound movement, the Barbell Walking Lunge responds well to heavier loading. For strength, work in the 3–5 sets of 4–8 reps range with 2–3 minutes of rest between sets. For muscle growth, 3–4 sets of 8–12 reps with 90 seconds of rest is the classic hypertrophy zone. Place it early in your session, when you're freshest, and leave 1–3 reps in reserve on most sets.
Progression
The Barbell Walking Lunge is beginner-friendly. Start with a load (or rep count) you can complete with clean form on every set, then add a small amount of weight or 1–2 reps each week. When you hit the top of your rep range on all sets, increase the load and drop back to the bottom of the range — simple double progression.
Secondary muscles worked
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Frequently asked questions
What muscles does the Barbell Walking Lunge work?
The Barbell Walking Lunge primarily targets the Quadriceps. It also recruits the Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings as supporting muscles.
What equipment do I need for the Barbell Walking Lunge?
You need Barbell. Difficulty level: Beginner.
How many sets and reps of the Barbell Walking Lunge should I do?
For strength, do 3–5 sets of 4–8 reps with 2–3 minutes rest. For muscle growth, do 3–4 sets of 8–12 reps with about 90 seconds rest.
