Often, a small change can make a big difference in the effectiveness of an exercise. If you’re someone who’s looking to increase speed and lower-body strength, the Reverse Lunge is a great way to do it.

Reverse Lunges are similar to traditional Lunges, except they require you initially to step backward instead of forward. This forces your front leg to pull the ground to bring yourself forward—which is essentially the main movement involved in running.

Reverse Lunges target small stabilizer muscles that aren’t normally worked by traditional lower-body exercises such as Squats. Pro athletes like Trent Richardson and Andre Johnson use Reverse Lunges in their routines to help them build explosiveness and get faster. You might find that the Reverse Lunge is more challenging than the traditional Lunge, so start off with a light weight you can control effectively before moving your way up.

How to Perform Reverse Lunges

• Assume an athletic stance with a barbell on your back or dumbbells at your side.
• Step back with one leg to lower into a lunge position.
• Pull your front foot into the ground to drive forward out of the Lunge and return to the starting position.
• You can either alternate legs between reps, or perform one full set with one leg before switching.

Sets/Reps: 3×6-8 each leg