Hug the ball, step out, build single-leg strength.
Keep the ball glued to your chest. Letting it drift forward pulls you off balance.
Hugging a medicine ball at your chest turns the lunge into a front-loaded movement, your quads drive the front leg while your glutes power the hip, and the ball's position forces your torso to stay tall and braced. The load is modest but honest, adding challenge without changing the pattern you built with bodyweight. It bridges the gap between unloaded lunges and heavier variations.
Chest height keeps the load close to your centre, so the lunge pattern stays clean while your trunk works to stay upright. Overhead turns it into a stability challenge first. The chest carry is the version that loads the legs with the fewest complications.
Long enough that both knees can reach roughly 90 degrees, with the front knee stacked over the ankle at the bottom. A cramped step throws you forward onto your toes, an overstretched one makes the return drive a struggle. Adjust until the bottom position feels stacked.
When strict sets of 10 to 12 per leg with a pause at the bottom stop being challenging. By then your balance and positions are solid and heavier tools will slot straight in. The ball did its job as the teacher.
