Medicine Ball Reverse Lunge
The Medicine Ball Reverse Lunge is a functional lower-body exercise that targets the quadriceps and glutes while engaging the core for stability. By holding a medicine ball at chest level, this movement challenges your balance and posture while building unilateral leg strength.
Lunges demand significant neuromuscular coordination and single-leg stability, which can be compromised by fatigue. Our AI analyzes your RPE trends and set consistency to detect if stability is failing; if your daily HRV or sleep data suggests poor recovery, the app may recommend reducing volume or switching to a stable bilateral exercise like a squat to prevent injury.
Form Cues
- Hold the medicine ball firmly against your chest with elbows tucked
- Step back far enough to create 90-degree angles at both knees
- Keep your torso upright and core braced tight
- Drive through the mid-foot and heel of your front leg to return to standing
- Keep your front knee aligned directly over your ankle
- Don't let your front knee cave inward
- Don't slam your back knee into the floor
- Don't round your shoulders or upper back forward
- Don't push off primarily with your back toes
- Don't step so narrowly that you feel like you're on a tightrope
Common Mistakes
- Taking too short of a step backward
- Leaning the torso excessively forward
- Lifting the front heel off the ground
- Relying on momentum to stand back up
- Allowing the medicine ball to drift away from the body
Muscles Worked
This exercise primarily strengthens the quadriceps and glutes, which generate the force required to return to a standing position. Holding the medicine ball at chest height forces the core and spinal erectors to work harder to maintain an upright posture, while the hamstrings and adductors act as crucial stabilizers for the knee and hip.
Primary
Secondary
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