Can’t Do Lunges? Here’s What Your Body’s Trying to Tell You

Weak glutes and low strength or mobility can get in the way of a lunge. For all the good they do, forward lunges create issues for many people. Top complaints often include knee pain, instability, and trouble reaching the full range of motion.

You Feel Unstable During a Lunge

Ever feel like you're going to fall over when you step into a lunge? If you're new to strength training, lunges will probably feel tough and unnatural — and that's perfectly okay. You might need to widen your stance.

“The idea behind the lunge is to train your balance, so a little wobbling is good,” says Lance Goyke, CSCS, a certified strength and conditioning specialist in Rochester, Minnesota. It means your body is learning and adjusting to the instability, resulting in improved balance over time.

You may also be using a “tightrope” setup, meaning you have a very narrow stance, George Branford, certified personal trainer and founder of Intent91 in Worthing, England.

If you're a newbie, hold onto a dowel stick, broom, wall, or chair for added stability while performing the lunge, Branford says. Once you’re ready to let go, practice doing the lunge with just your body weight before gradually adding weight with dumbbells or kettlebells.

And instead of lunging as though you’re walking a tightrope, with one foot directly in front of the other, pretend you’re stepping along either side of a train track. “A wider stance will provide you with greater stability through the knee and ankle and help with balance,” Branford says.

It may sound counterintuitive, but one of the best things you can do to improve your balance during lunges is to relax.

“When your body stiffens up, your brain has trouble hearing what the muscles are saying,” Goyke says. “Relaxing allows us to access our proprioception, or sense of where we are in space, to deal with the balance challenge lunges present us.”

Your Knee Hurts During a Lunge

“As the knee bends, the pressure between your kneecap and the groove increases, and if the kneecap isn't tracking properly through that groove, it causes inflammation,” advises Grant Radermacher, sports chiropractor, physical therapist, and owner of Ascent Chiropractic in Brookfield. Wisconsin.

However, if you're experiencing discomfort in the back knee, it often means you're putting too much weight on that leg, Goyke says. Shift more of your body weight onto the working leg and see if that solves your problem.

Radermacher suggests sticking with reverse lunges (stepping backward instead of forward in the lunge), as this variation provides all the benefits of forward lunges while emphasizing the glutes more.

“Also, consider adding banded glute bridges to your workouts to help target your glutes,” he says. Once you build more glute strength, give forward lunges another try.

If you’re still experiencing discomfort or pain in either knee after testing these fixes, try shortening your range of motion by avoiding bringing your knee to the floor and performing the exercise more slowly. If neither of these modifications work, hit pause while you consult a physical therapist.

You Can’t Get Low Enough in a Lunge

If you’re struggling to get low enough for a full lunge, you may need to focus on improving your strength and mobility.

Getting your front thigh parallel to the floor (or as close to it as possible) and then pushing up to stand requires considerable strength, mobility, stability, and awareness of movement. If you struggle to achieve a full range of motion during lunges, one or more of these skills aren't up to snuff. And that's okay. It takes time to be able to perform lunges at the full range of motion.

“Starting slowly and not going as deep is still performing a lunge,” says Aaron Guyett, CSCS, former master coach and director of education with LivingFit in Cocolalla, Idaho. “It takes time for our tissues to adapt, so be patient and stay consistent. You will eventually be able to do the lunge and reap a lot of benefits on the way.”

Guyett recommends gradually increasing your range of motion each week, allowing your muscles and tissues to adapt to the new demands. However, never go so deep that you feel discomfort or pain.

1. Start on the floor on your hands and knees, with your palms directly under your shoulders and your knees directly under your hips. Take a deep inhale.
2. As you exhale, pull your belly button up toward your spine.
3. While holding this position, push your glutes backward, stopping just before you rest on your heels.
4. Hold this position for five slow breaths in and out through your nose. Exhale fully, and pause for five seconds before inhaling again.
5. Try to direct your breath toward the lower part of your glutes while maintaining tension in these muscles.

If you have sufficient strength, mobility, and stability to perform lunges but still struggle to lower yourself to the bottom, you may need to adjust your form to achieve a more effective movement.

“People will often bend over at the bottom of the movement to use their lower back instead of their hamstrings,” Goyke says. Doing this will limit how far you can go. Instead, focus on maintaining a tall posture from the top of your head to your tailbone throughout the movement.

Lastly, try different variations of lunges as you work up to full depth. Lateral lunges (lunging to each side) will work your glutes more, reverse lunges can help you focus on driving through your heels, and walking lunges are a fun, dynamic exercise, Guyett says.

How to Do a Forward Lunge With Perfect Form

1. Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart.

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2. Keeping your chest up, shoulders down, and back and core tight, take a big step forward with your right foot.
3. Bend both knees to lower your hips until your front thigh is parallel (or as close to parallel as you can get) to the ground. Your back foot should be flexed, and your back knee should be bent at 90 degrees.

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4. Pause briefly. Then, activate your glutes and thigh muscles to push through your front foot and straighten both legs. That’s 1 rep.
5. Repeat the movement by stepping forward with your left foot. Continue alternating legs with each rep.

Once bodyweight lunges feel easy, you can increase the difficulty by holding weights. Dumbbells, kettlebells, medicine balls, and sandbags are all great options.

Many people perform lunges with their torsos leaning back, but Goyke suggests avoiding this posture. “This arches the low back and shuts off the abdominal muscles, reducing your ability to balance and placing unnecessary stress on the spine,” Goyke says.

The Takeaway

• If you get knee instability or pain during lunges, it may be due to weak glutes or improper form, both of which can affect balance and alignment. Consider consulting with a physical therapist for guidance if the problem persists.
• Try using props such as a dowel stick, wall, or chair for added stability while you become comfortable with the exercise, and gradually reduce support as your strength and confidence improve.
• To fully reap the benefits of lunges and improve your range of motion, focus on gradually increasing the depth of your lunges. Be patient, as tissue adaptation takes time, and never push to the point of discomfort or injury.
• Experiment with other lunge variations, like reverse or lateral lunges, to enhance muscle engagement and improve technique.