Bodyweight Step Up to Deficit Reverse Lunge
The Bodyweight Step Up to Deficit Reverse Lunge is a hybrid lower-body exercise that combines a step-up with a deep reverse lunge. This movement targets the quadriceps and glutes while significantly challenging balance, coordination, and single-leg stability.
Because this complex movement demands high stability and coordination, your AI coach analyzes your HRV and sleep data to determine if your nervous system is recovered enough to perform it safely. If you report knee pain or your performance metrics (like tempo consistency) drop, the app can instantly regress this to a stationary lunge to protect your joints. Over time, the AI tracks your strength endurance in this movement to progressively increase volume or intensity tailored to your specific recovery capacity.
Form Cues
- Place your entire lead foot firmly on the box
- Drive through your front heel to stand tall
- Control the descent slowly into the reverse lunge
- Keep your torso upright and core engaged
- Allow your back knee to hover just above the floor
- Don't push off aggressively with your back foot
- Don't let your front knee collapse inward
- Don't slam your back knee into the ground
- Don't hunch your shoulders forward
- Don't let your front heel lift off the box
Common Mistakes
- Using momentum from the back leg
- Rushing the downward phase
- Excessive forward leaning
- Allowing the knee to cave inward
- Placing only the toes on the box
Muscles Worked
This exercise is a powerhouse for the quadriceps and glutes, utilizing a large range of motion to maximize muscle fiber recruitment. The deficit aspect increases the stretch on the glutes and hamstrings at the bottom of the movement, while the core and hip stabilizers work intensely to maintain balance during the transition.
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