The lunge is a strength training

Strength training

Strength training is the use of resistance to muscular contraction to build the strength, anaerobic endurance, and size of skeletal muscles. There are many different methods of strength training, the most common being the use of gravity or elastic/hydraulic forces to oppose muscle contraction...

 exercise that is used to strengthen the quadriceps muscles, gluteal muscles

Gluteal muscles

The gluteal muscles are the three muscles that make up the buttocks: the gluteus maximus muscle, gluteus medius muscle and gluteus minimus muscle.-The gluteal muscles:...

 and the muscles comprising the "hamstring

Hamstring

In human anatomy, the hamstring refers to any one of the three posterior thigh muscles, or to the tendons that make up the borders of the space behind the knee. In modern anatomical contexts, however, they usually refer to the posterior thigh muscles, or the tendons of the semitendinosus, the...

s", the semitendinosus, the semimembranosus, and the biceps femoris. A long lunge emphasizes the gluteals whereas a short lunge emphasizes the quadriceps.

To perform the lunge, the individual stands with their feet shoulder-width apart, and then steps forward, landing with the heel first. The knee should be at 90 degrees and directly above the toes, not further (taking a shorter step can put added pressure on the knee). The motion is continued until the back knee is nearly touching the ground. The individual then returns to his or her starting position by driving upward with the front leg.

The lunge can be performed without weights (i.e., bodyweight). However, weight trainers usually seek to increase the difficulty using either dumbbell

Dumbbell

The dumbbell, a type of free weight, is a piece of equipment used in weight training. It can be used individually or in pairs .-History:...

s (held in each hand) or a barbell

Barbell

A barbell is a piece of exercise equipment used in weight training, weightlifting and powerlifting. Barbells range in length from to although bars above 7' in length are used primarily by powerlifters and aren't commonplace...

 with weights on it (held atop the neck and shoulders). Advanced trainers may find that grip strength

Grip strength

Grip strength is the force applied by the hand to pull on or suspend from objects and is a specific part of hand strength. Optimum-sized objects permit the hand to wrap around a cylindrical shape with a diameter from one to three inches. Stair rails are an example of where shape and diameter are...

is an issue with the dumbbell lunge, and therefore prefer the barbell lunge.

As a variation, plyometric lunges (also known as split squat jumps) can be performed by jumping explosively between lunge positions, with the feet swapping positions at each jump.