barbell rear lunge v. 2: technique and muscles worked

Animated demonstration of barbell rear lunge v. 2

How to do this exercise

Step:1 Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a barbell across your upper back.
Step:2 Take a step backward with your right foot, landing on the ball of your foot.
Step:3 Bend both knees to lower your body until your left thigh is parallel to the ground.
Step:4 Push through your left heel to return to the starting position.
Step:5 Repeat with the other leg.

Equipment: Barbell Olympic barbell
Body part: Thighs Glutes
Target muscle: Quadriceps Hamstrings Gluteus maximus
Secondary muscle: Lower back Calves Adductors

Hypertrophy grade

Good7 / 10

Nemeo’s take

The rear lunge with bar offers an excellent compromise between load on the quadriceps/glutes and amplitude, but stability and core often limit the increase in load, unlike a classic squat. More technically demanding, it emphasizes balance and coordination, making muscular failure less accessible in complete safety. It is a specialized exercise, very functional, but which remains slightly behind for the purist optimization of hypertrophy compared to guided or bilateral variants.

This catalog score reflects Nemeo’s assessment of the exercise’s muscle-building potential. It is not a standardized scientific rating or a personalized recommendation.

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barbell rear lunge v. 2

How to do this exercise

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