Dumbbell Reverse Lunge
The dumbbell reverse lunge is a lunge where you step backwards instead of forwards. It trains the quads and glutes, with the hamstrings helping. Your front foot stays planted, so it's easier to balance and usually gentler on the knees than a forward lunge, making it a solid default single-leg exercise.
Muscles worked
The dumbbell reverse lunge trains the quadriceps and glutes, with hamstrings helping.
Primary
Helpers
Weekly sets for quadriceps
Hard sets per week that Swole.fit plans for quadriceps, counting every exercise that trains it. Start a cycle near the growth line and climb toward the recovery limit before a deload.
How to do the dumbbell reverse lunge
- 01Stand with feet hip width, holding a dumbbell in each hand at your sides.
- 02Take a long step back with one leg, landing on the ball of your foot.
- 03Lower until your back knee nearly touches the floor, keeping most of your weight on the front heel.
- 04Drive through your front foot to bring the back leg forward and stand up tall.
- 05Alternate legs or complete one side fully before switching.
Coaching cues
- Reach back, then sink
- Weight stays on the front heel
- Drive the floor to stand
Common mistakes
- Stepping back too short makes the front knee travel far, so take a long enough step to drop straight down.
- Pushing up with the back leg takes work from the front leg, so drive mainly through your front heel.
- Twisting your hips when you step back hurts balance, so keep both hips facing forward.
How Swole.fit programs it
Log it once and the app plans the next session for you.
- Most sets land between 8 and 15 reps, the range the plan steers compound lifts toward for size.
- Week one starts around 2 to 3 reps in reserve. Each week you train a little closer to failure, ending around 0 to 1 in reserve before a deload week.
- Hit the top of the range on every set and the next session adds the smallest real jump in weight, rounded to the plates, dumbbells or stack you actually have.
- Sets for this exercise count toward your weekly volume for every muscle it trains: a full set for the primary muscles, half a set for the helpers.
The full method, with the maths, is in how mesocycles work.
Dumbbell Reverse Lunge alternatives
Same muscles, different tool. Swap in one of these when the equipment is taken or your joints want a change.
Log it. Let the app plan the next one.
Track your dumbbell reverse lunge free. Swole.fit picks the next weight, counts your weekly sets and tells you when to deload.