Step back, save your knees, hammer the glutes.
Stepping backward keeps the front knee stacked over the ankle, easier on the joints than a forward lunge.
Putting a barbell across your upper back turns the knee-friendly reverse lunge into a serious strength lift, the quads drive the front leg through a vertical shin while the glutes control the pelvis and power the stand-up. The backward step keeps the front knee stacked over the ankle even as the load climbs, which is exactly why heavy lungers gravitate to this version. It earns its place as a main single-leg builder on lower body days, right alongside split squats.
The barbell lets you load heavier without grip becoming the limit, dumbbells are easier to bail and more forgiving for beginners. If single-leg strength is the goal and your balance is solid, the barbell wins.
The movement is built alternating, which doubles as recovery for each leg between reps. If one leg is noticeably weaker, doing its full set first is a fair variation to close the gap.
Far enough that your front shin stays vertical when your back knee nears the floor. Too short a step cramps the knee forward, too long turns it into a stretch, adjust until the descent drops straight down.
