How to do a Medicine Ball Side Lunge
Reviewed by JP Michelsen, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About Medicine Ball Side Lunge
Target muscles worked
Instructions for Proper Form
This lunge variation adds a medicine ball to increase resistance and improve balance. Targeting the quads, glutes, and core, it also engages the obliques as you lunge sideways, offering a more comprehensive lower body workout than standard lunges.
- Grasp a medicine ball in both hands and stand with your feet roughly shoulder width apart, with a slight bend in your knees.
- Step to the side with one leg and bend your knee to drop into a lunge. Your opposite leg should remain straight.
- Pause for a moment at the bottom of the movement. Keep your core engaged to maintain stability.
- Engage your glutes, hips and quads to drive your foot into the ground and step back together into a standing position.
- Maintain good posture by keeping your core engaged for stability, chest up and shoulders back. Keep your knee behind your toes.
- You should feel this exercise primarily in your glutes, hips and quads.
Weight & 1 Rep Max Calculator
Average Medicine Ball Side Lunge standards by male, female, weight, age and height
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- beginner8reps10lbs1 Rep Max12.5lbs
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- advanced8reps15lbs20lbs
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Alternative Exercises to Medicine Ball Side Lunge
1. Leg Extension
99.4 mSCORESWAPPED 92 TIMESLeg Extensions are an isolation exercise that target the quads. Due to a severe lack of isolation movements for the lower body, this is a great option for specifically targeting your quadriceps. The use of a machine restricts your range of motion, and adds some stability to the movement. This can help your focus more on exertion than stabilizing the movement. The downside to this exercise is that it places a lot of tension on your knee. Keep your weights light, and focus on pausing near the end of your range of motion.
- Beginner
- Quads
- Leg Extension Machine
2. Side Lunge
79.4 mSCORESWAPPED 89 TIMESSide Lunge is a variation on the more standard Lunge. Similar to other Lunge variations, this compound exercise primarily targets your quadriceps. By stepping to the side instead of forward or backwards, you can further recruit smaller muscles around your hips like your Adductors (the muscle that brings your legs together).
- Beginner
- Quads
3. Machine Leg Press
95.1 mSCORESWAPPED 38 TIMESMachine Leg Press is a variation on the more standard Leg Press. Like the Leg Press, this is a compound exercise that primarily recruits the quadriceps. This is a great exercise for building strength and muscle mass in your quads. The use of a machine doesn’t change anything significant about this exercise, although your positioning may change depending on the machine you’re using.
- Beginner
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4. Air Squats
92.1 mSCORESWAPPED 35 TIMESAir Squats are a bodyweight variation of Squats. Like other variations, this is a compound exercise that primarily targets the quadriceps. Without any added resistance this is easily one of the most beginner friendly exercises out there. It’s a great way to start building strength, and working your way towards more advanced variations.
- Beginner
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5. Dumbbell Squat
94.1 mSCORESWAPPED 32 TIMESDumbbell Squat is a variation of the more standard Squat. Like other variations, this is a compound exercise that primarily targets the quadriceps. The advantage of using dumbbells rather than a barbell is that you have more freedom in your range of motion which can make this a more accessible variation for anyone with mobility limitations. With that freedom comes a bit more instability with this exercise though, which can help you further improve your squat for, and build the strength needed for heavier, or more complex variations.
6. Dumbbell Lunge
97.6 mSCORESWAPPED 31 TIMESDumbbell Lunge is a variation on the more standard Lunge. Similar to other Lunge variations, Dumbbell Lunge is a compound exercise that primarily targets the quads. The exercise itself is the same as a standard lunge except for the added weight from holding dumbbells in each hand. This is a great variation for anyone looking to make their lunges a bit more challenging without adding more complexity to the movement.
7. Leg Press
99.7 mSCORESWAPPED 28 TIMESLeg Press is a compound exercise that primarily targets the quadriceps. The exercise itself is fairly similar to a standard squat, with some key differences. The biggest of these differences is the added stability from supporting your back on the Leg Press Machine. The end result of these changes is a more stable movement that further emphasizes your quadriceps. Leg Press is an excellent exercise for anyone looking to build muscle mass or strength in their quads.
- Beginner
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8. Single Leg Leg Extension
60.6 mSCORESWAPPED 25 TIMESSingle Leg Leg Extensions is a variation of Leg Extensions that uses one leg at a time. Like other leg extensions, this isolation exercise targets your quadriceps. By targeting one leg at a time, you can focus your attention on getting good muscle activation in each leg. In addition, this can help you identify and address strength imbalances between legs. While leg extensions can be a great way to build strength and muscle mass in your quadriceps, they can also place a lot of tension on your knees.
- Beginner
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- Leg Extension Machine
9. Dumbbell Goblet Squat
87.9 mSCORESWAPPED 25 TIMESDumbbell Goblet Squat is a variation on the more standard Front Squat. Like other squat variations, this compound exercise primarily targets the quadriceps. Goblet squats are beneficial because they require less upper body mobility in order to keep the weight in the proper position compared to using a barbell.
10. Back Squat
99.3 mSCORESWAPPED 21 TIMESBack Squat is one of the three Powerlifting movements, and one of the most common lower body exercises. It’s a great compound exercise that can help build strength and muscle mass in your leg, especially your quadriceps. It’s a staple in most fitness programs, and is often used as a metric for tracking lower body strength in general.