Reverse Lunge

The reverse lunge is a single-leg kettlebell exercise held in the goblet position. From standing, one leg steps back until the back knee touches the floor, then drives forward to stand. The exercise trains single-leg strength, balance, and hip control. Used in the Kettlebell Complex protocol as a station of the capacity-test AMRAP.

Mechanics and load path

Hold the bell at the chest in the goblet position with the elbows tucked. Step one foot back and lower until the back knee touches the floor, the front shin near vertical. Drive through the front heel to return to standing, then alternate sides. The torso stays upright through the descent.

The failure mode is a forward-tipping torso or a knee that caves inward. When the chest drops toward the front thigh, the load shifts off the working leg. A tall chest and a tracked knee keep the strength demand on the front leg.

In the Kettlebell Complex protocol

Reverse lunge is one of the six stations in the capacity-test AMRAP (S6, S12, S18). Each round calls for six reps, three per side, with the bell in the goblet hold. It uses the goblet position rather than the one-arm front-rack reverse lunge, the racked variant the conditioning-flow sessions call for.

Used in: Program 01 — Kettlebell Complex