Jump Step Barbell Reverse Lunge
In SetGrip: Barbell Reverse Lunge (Jump Step)
- Secondary muscles
- Glutes, Hamstrings, Calves, Abs, Adductors
- Body part
- Upper Legs
- Position
- Standing
- Laterality
- Bilateral (both sides together)
- Category
- Plyometrics
Track this exercise in SetGrip — no account needed
Combining a barbell squat jump onto a step with a rear lunge on the descent makes this a rare power-and-strength hybrid in a single rep. Keep the bar well under half your squat weight, use a low and stable step, and end sets the moment the jump loses snap.
How to do the Jump Step Barbell Reverse Lunge
- Rack the barbell across your upper traps with a shoulder-width grip; stand 15–30 cm in front of a sturdy step, feet hip-width and toes slightly out.
- Brace your core, set a neutral spine, and sit into a quarter–half squat.
- Drive through your feet and jump onto the step, landing softly on both feet with knees tracking over toes and heels down.
- Stand tall on the step, then step one foot back to the floor and lower into a controlled rear lunge (front shin vertical, back knee under hip).
- Push through the front heel to return to standing on the floor at the start position.
- Repeat the jump and alternate the lunge leg each rep while keeping the torso upright and the bar stable.
- Use a low step and light load; stop the set if landing control or balance is lost.
Tip: Keep most of the weight in the front foot and think of pushing the floor away rather than standing up.
Muscles worked
Primary
Quads · Legs
The front quad controls the descent and drives you back up, and it takes an especially heavy load on split squats where the stance is fixed.
Secondary
- Glutes — The glute of the front leg extends the hip, and leaning the torso forward slightly with a longer stride shifts more work onto it.
- Hamstrings — The hamstrings of the front leg assist the glutes in hip extension and control the knee on the way down.
- Calves
- Abs — The core has to stabilize a narrow base, so the abs and obliques work hard to keep the torso from twisting or tipping.
- Adductors — Cossack squats and lateral lunges load the inner thigh of the straight leg through a deep stretch.
Common mistakes
- Front knee caving inward — the knee should track over the second toe; if it drops in, widen the stance slightly and push the knee out.
- Stepping too short — a short stride pushes the knee far past the toes and shifts everything onto the quad and knee; lengthen the step so the shin stays fairly upright.
- Leaning forward and rounding — keep the torso tall and the chest up, and let the back knee drop straight down rather than reaching forward.
- Pushing off the back foot — drive back up through the front heel; the back leg is just there for balance.
Where it fits in a workout
Lunges and split squats go after squats or deadlifts as the main single leg movement, or first on a lighter day. Superset them with a Romanian deadlift for a complete lower body pair.
How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.
Variations and alternatives
When to talk to someone
- Chest discomfort, feeling faint or lightheaded, or trouble breathing during or after exercise can be signs of a heart attack. In the US, call 911 right away; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
- Heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or symptoms like these when you are active: talk to your doctor before you start or step up training.
- Pregnant: ask your obstetric care provider which exercise suits you.
Track the Jump Step Barbell Reverse Lunge in SetGrip
All 1,100+ exercises with animations are in the app. No account, no sign-up — your history stays on your iPhone and in your private iCloud. Works with Apple Watch.
More exercises
Sources
- ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
- ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
- ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
- CDC: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (2024)
Sources checked on October 17, 2026. Full citations are in the exercise library.
Animation and exercise data: ExerciseDB, licensed to SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.