Lunge With Internal Rotation

Muscles worked

Setup

1. Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart and your core engaged.
2. Extend your arms straight out in front of your chest, pressing your palms together or making fists.
3. Maintain a neutral spine with your shoulders pulled back and down.

How to do it

1. Step forward into a lunge, lowering your back knee toward the floor until both legs form 90-degree angles.
2. While holding the lunge position, exhale and rotate your torso and arms over your lead leg as far as your mobility allows.
3. Inhale as you rotate your torso back to the center with control.
4. Drive through the heel of your front foot to return to the standing starting position.

Form checklist

• Keep your front knee aligned over your ankle, preventing it from caving inward during the rotation.
• Ensure the rotation comes from your mid-back (thoracic spine) rather than just swinging your arms.
• Maintain an upright torso; do not lean forward or sideways as you twist.
• Keep your hips squared forward even as your upper body rotates.

Pro tips

• To maximize oblique engagement, imagine 'wringing out' your midsection like a towel at the peak of the rotation.
• Focus your gaze on your hands throughout the movement to help maintain balance and ensure full cervical rotation.

Make it harder

• Perform the movement as a continuous walking lunge to increase the demand on your stability and coordination.
• Add a 2-second isometric hold at the deepest part of the rotation to increase time under tension.

Frequently asked

What muscles does the lunge with internal rotation work?

The lunge with internal rotation primarily targets the abs, glutes, hamstrings, obliques, and quadriceps, and also works the serratus anterior and triceps as secondary muscles.

What equipment do you need for the lunge with internal rotation?

The lunge with internal rotation requires no equipment — just your body weight.

Is the lunge with internal rotation good for beginners?

The lunge with internal rotation is rated intermediate. Build a base with simpler variations first, then progress to it with light load and strict form.

Related exercises

• Elevated Lunge T Spine RotationIntermediate · abs, glutes, hamstrings, obliques, and quadriceps
• Plank Walk SquatIntermediate · abs, calves, glutes, hamstrings, obliques, and quadriceps
• Squat To Overhead Reach With TwistBeginner · abs, calves, glutes, hamstrings, obliques, and quadriceps
• Baseball HitAdvanced · biceps, deltoids, glutes, hamstrings, lats, obliques, pectorals, quadriceps, and triceps