THE MOST UNDERRATED LIFT
Lunges Are the Best Single Exercise for Hybrid Athletes. Here's How to Use Them.
If you only had time for one strength move per week, it should probably be the lunge. They build the legs that run, the legs that sled push, and the legs that survive the HYROX 200 metres of compression lunges without dying.
The lunge is the exercise hybrid athletes neglect most and need most. It's a single-leg movement, which is exactly how running and life work. It loads the glutes, quads and core in the same way a long run loads them, but with more force and more control. And for HYROX athletes, the sandbag lunge station is the one most people fail to train specifically and pay for on race day.
This is the beginner's guide to lunges for runners and hybrid athletes. We'll cover why they matter, the four variations to know, the loading rules, and how often to do them.
Why Lunges Beat Squats for Runners
Squats are great. Don't drop them. But the squat is a two-legged movement, and running is a one-legged movement (you're never on both feet at the same time). Lunges train each leg independently, which exposes and fixes the strength imbalances most runners have without realising. Almost every runner is stronger on one leg than the other. The lunge is where you find that out.
For HYROX athletes there's an extra reason. The sandbag lunge station is 200 metres of forward walking lunges with a sandbag on your shoulders. Most people get to it in around 50 minutes of racing already exhausted, and the lunge is the station with the highest "no rep" rate at events. Train the move properly and you save minutes off your total time.
FREQUENCY
2-3x
per week
SETS x REPS
3 x 10
per leg, full range
HYROX STATION
200M
sandbag lunges, race day
How to Lunge Well
Before you load it, get the pattern right. The cues that matter:
- Step length: Long enough that the front shin stays roughly vertical at the bottom. Too short and your knee shoots over your toes. Too long and you'll feel it pulling your back hip flexor.
- Back knee: Lower it down to lightly tap the floor (or just above). No bouncing.
- Torso: Tall and upright. The temptation is to lean forward to make it easier, that just shifts the work to your back.
- Drive up: Push through the front heel, not the front toe. Imagine pushing the floor away through your heel.
The Four Lunge Variations to Know
VARIATION 1
Reverse lunge — the safest starting point
Step backwards into the lunge instead of forwards. Easier on the front knee, easier to keep balance, and the most common variation in beginner strength programmes. Start here for the first 4 weeks.
VARIATION 2
Walking lunge — the running-specific version
Step forward, lunge, then step the back foot through into the next forward lunge. This is the closest thing to running mechanics you can do in the gym, and the closest thing to the HYROX sandbag lunge.
VARIATION 3
Bulgarian split squat — the strength builder
Back foot raised on a bench behind you, front leg doing nearly all the work. Brutal but effective, this is the single best variation for adding raw single-leg strength. 3 x 8 per side with weight is enough.
VARIATION 4
Sandbag walking lunge — the HYROX-specific one
Sandbag on the shoulders (10 kg women, 20 kg men matches the HYROX standard), 50 to 100 metres of walking lunges. This is the only move that prepares the shoulders, core and lungs for what race day actually feels like. Add this 4 weeks out from any HYROX event.
How to Load Them
The progression looks like this:
- Weeks 1-2: Bodyweight reverse lunges, 3 sets of 10 per side, focus on form.
- Weeks 3-4: Goblet reverse lunge, holding a single dumbbell at chest height, 3 sets of 8 per side.
- Weeks 5-8: Walking lunges holding dumbbells at your sides, 3 sets of 12 per side. Add 2 to 5 kg per session if reps stay clean.
- Week 9 onwards: Mix in Bulgarian split squats and (if HYROX-bound) sandbag walking lunges.
The mistake nearly everyone makes is going too heavy too fast. The lunge is a balance and control move first, a strength move second. If your back knee is slamming the floor or you're falling sideways, drop the weight.
The Two Common Mistakes
MISTAKE 1
Front knee caving in
If your front knee tracks toward the midline of your body instead of staying over your toes, you're loading the inside of the joint. Drop the weight, slow down, and consciously push the knee out as you descend.
MISTAKE 2
Skipping them because they hurt
Lunges are humbling, especially walking lunges. The day after lunges your glutes are sore. That's not a reason to drop them, that's a reason to keep doing them. Start with bodyweight and build up. The discomfort fades in 4 weeks.
The Bottom Line
If you're a runner, lunges are the move that exposes the imbalance between your legs and fixes it. If you're a HYROX athlete, the sandbag lunge is a station you can train specifically and shave minutes off your race time. If you're both, two lunge sessions a week is more useful than almost anything else you can do in the gym.
Start bodyweight, build to weighted, and earn the right to add the sandbag last. Done well, the lunge is the single most useful exercise a hybrid athlete can own.
SINGLE-LEG STRENGTH, PROGRAMMED
Lunges in the Right Sets, Reps and Variation
Edge programmes the right lunge variation for your goal: reverse for beginners, Bulgarian split for strength, sandbag walking for HYROX. Sets, reps and load adjust automatically as you get stronger.
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