10 Best Barbell Lunge Alternatives for Glute Strength

The Barbell Lunge is done standing with a barbell. Ranked closest by our scoring: the Kettlebell Lunge Pass Through, the Weighted Lunge With Swing and the Smith Sprint Lunge.

Skip the Barbell Lunge and you lose a loaded forward step that works one leg at a time, with a bar on your back forcing you to stay upright while you push back up. The Kettlebell Lunge Pass Through comes closest, passing a kettlebell under your thigh on the same forward step instead of resting a bar across your back. With no weight in the gym at all, the Walking Lunge keeps that same forward step under your own bodyweight.

Barbell LungeWatch the Barbell Lunge

Each substitute is scored on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. Read how we rank alternatives

How to Do the Barbell Lunge

The steps for the Barbell Lunge itself, so you can judge how close each substitute below really is.

Glutes, with quadriceps, hamstrings, calves · Barbell · Intermediate · Compound

  1. Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and a barbell resting on your upper back.
  2. Take a step forward with your right foot, keeping your torso upright.
  3. Lower your body by bending your right knee until your thigh is parallel to the ground.
  4. Push through your right heel to return to the starting position.
  5. Repeat with your left leg, alternating legs for the desired number of repetitions.

The 10 Best Barbell Lunge Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Barbell Lunge on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. The higher the score, the less you change. Cards with a "How to perform it" link open to show the steps; every card title links to that exercise's own alternatives page.

Each link re-ranks the list below for the kit it names. Pick one to hide the substitutes you cannot set up.

  1. Kettlebell Lunge Pass ThroughPlay demonstration

    1. Kettlebell Lunge Pass Through

    90% match

    Glutes · Intermediate · Compound

    A good swap when you have a kettlebell to work with, and it still works the glutes.

    • Kettlebell
    How to perform it
    1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a kettlebell in front of your chest with both hands.
    2. Take a step forward with your right foot, lowering your body into a lunge position.
    3. As you lunge forward, pass the kettlebell under your right thigh and transfer it to your left hand.
    4. Push off with your right foot to return to the starting position, while simultaneously passing the kettlebell back to your right hand.
    5. Repeat the lunge on the opposite side, passing the kettlebell under your left thigh.
    6. Continue alternating lunges and passing the kettlebell between hands for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps on each side.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: forward lunge, the same as the Barbell Lunge
    • Primary muscle: glutes, the same as the Barbell Lunge
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Barbell Lunge
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Barbell Lunge
  2. Weighted Lunge With SwingPlay demonstration

    2. Weighted Lunge With Swing

    86% match

    Glutes · Intermediate · Compound

    A straight swap when you want to keep working the glutes.

    • Weighted
    How to perform it
    1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a weight in each hand.
    2. Take a step forward with your right foot, lowering your body into a lunge position.
    3. As you lunge forward, swing the weights forward and upward, keeping your arms straight.
    4. Push off with your right foot and return to the starting position, swinging the weights back down.
    5. Repeat with your left foot and continue alternating legs for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps on each side.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: forward lunge, the same as the Barbell Lunge
    • Primary muscle: glutes, the same as the Barbell Lunge
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Barbell Lunge
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Barbell Lunge
  3. Smith Sprint LungePlay demonstration

    3. Smith Sprint Lunge

    84% match

    Glutes · Advanced · Compound

    A good swap when you have a Smith machine to work with, and it still works the glutes.

    • Smith-machine
    How to perform it
    1. Set up the smith machine with the barbell at hip height.
    2. Stand facing away from the machine with your feet shoulder-width apart.
    3. Step back with your right foot and place it on the barbell, resting the top of your foot on the bar.
    4. Bend your left knee and lower your body into a lunge position, keeping your back straight.
    5. Push through your left heel to return to the starting position.
    6. Repeat on the other side, stepping back with your left foot.
    7. Continue alternating sides for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 to 5 sets of 5 to 8 reps on each side.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: forward lunge, the same as the Barbell Lunge
    • Primary muscle: glutes, the same as the Barbell Lunge
    • Equipment: a machine, not free weights
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Barbell Lunge
  4. Barbell Rear LungePlay demonstration

    4. Barbell Rear Lunge

    83% match

    Glutes · Intermediate · Compound

    It uses the same equipment and still works the glutes.

    • Barbell
    How to perform it
    1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a barbell across your upper back.
    2. Take a step backward with your right foot, landing on the ball of your foot.
    3. Bend both knees to lower your body until your left thigh is parallel to the ground.
    4. Push through your left heel to return to the starting position.
    5. Repeat with the other leg.

    Sets and reps: 3 to 5 sets of 5 to 8 reps on each side.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: glutes, the same as the Barbell Lunge
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Barbell Lunge
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Barbell Lunge
  7. Walking LungePlay demonstration

    7. Walking Lunge

    80% match

    Glutes · Intermediate · Compound

    Use this when you have nothing to train with, because it works the glutes with bodyweight alone.

    • Bodyweight
    How to perform it
    1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
    2. Take a step forward with your right leg, lowering your body into a lunge position.
    3. Keep your torso upright and your front knee aligned with your ankle.
    4. Push off with your right foot and bring your left foot forward, stepping into a lunge position with your left leg.
    5. Continue alternating legs and walking forward, maintaining a controlled and steady pace.
    6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps on each side.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: forward lunge, the same as the Barbell Lunge
    • Primary muscle: glutes, the same as the Barbell Lunge
    • Equipment: bodyweight only, not free weights
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Barbell Lunge

Why You Might Need a Barbell Lunge Alternative

A swap gets reached for when the rack is busy, there is no barbell around, or you train at home with a kettlebell. The Barbell Lunge rests a bar across your back while you step forward and lower until your thigh is level. Most of these swaps keep a lunge and change what you carry or which way you step: forward under a kettlebell or bodyweight, backward or sideways under the same bar, or with the back foot parked on a Smith bar. The Kettlebell Lunge Pass Through swaps the bar for a kettlebell held at your chest and then passed under your front thigh, the Walking Lunge and the Forward Lunge (male) carry no weight at all, and the Smith Sprint Lunge rests your back foot on the machine's bar instead, so the front leg alone does the bending.

How to Choose the Right Barbell Lunge Substitute

Match the equipment you have. A kettlebell gives you the Kettlebell Lunge Pass Through, which passes the weight under your thigh on the same forward step, so it swaps in without changing much. Nothing but floor space points you to the Walking Lunge, which carries that step across a room under bodyweight alone, or the Forward Lunge (male), which does the same step in place with your hands on your hips. A barbell still on hand opens up the Barbell Rear Lunge, stepping backward instead of forward with the same bar on your back, or the Barbell Step-up, which trades the step for a bench you step onto instead. With a Smith machine free, the Smith Sprint Lunge rests your back foot on the bar behind you, so your front leg carries the whole drop without stepping anywhere.

Barbell Lunge FAQ

Can I do the Barbell Lunge at home?

Yes, with a kettlebell or just your bodyweight. The Kettlebell Lunge Pass Through keeps the same forward step and passes the weight under your thigh instead of resting a bar on your back. With nothing to hold, two bodyweight options work: the Walking Lunge carries the step across a room, and the Forward Lunge (male) does the same step in place.

Which Barbell Lunge alternative uses a Smith machine?

The Smith Sprint Lunge. Your back foot rests on the machine's bar behind you while your front leg bends and lowers your body, so there is no forward step and no free bar to balance. Push through your front heel to stand back up, then repeat with the other leg back on the bar.

What is a good beginner substitute for the Barbell Lunge?

The Forward Lunge (male) is the pick. It uses only your bodyweight with your hands on your hips, so there is no bar to balance while you learn the forward step. The Walking Lunge is another bodyweight option once you are ready to carry that same step across a room.

Which barbell alternatives still load the same glutes?

The Barbell Rear Lunge, the Barbell Step-up and the Barbell Lateral Lunge all keep the bar across your upper back, just from a backward step, a step onto a bench or a big step to the side. The Barbell Walking Lunge uses the same bar and the same forward step, but instead of pushing back to the start you bring the rear foot through and keep travelling forward.

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