Kettlebell Lunge Pass Through
What Is the Kettlebell Lunge Pass Through?
Kettlebell Lunge Pass Through is a compound exercise that primarily targets the quads and glutes and also engages the obliques, lower back and the rest of the core. It is an intermediate-level movement that combines an alternating forward lunge with a hand-to-hand pass of a single kettlebell under the front thigh at the bottom of each rep.
Every rep builds single-leg strength in the front leg, and the pass adds a coordination and balance challenge that a plain lunge does not have. Because the bell changes hands on every rep, you stand up holding it on the opposite side, ready to lunge with the other leg, so the movement flows from side to side without stopping. It fits well in kettlebell circuits, full-body conditioning sessions and as an accessory after the main lifts of a lower-body day. The weight is limited by how smoothly you can pass it, so it is not the tool for loading the legs heavily.
The front leg does most of the work. The quadriceps control the knee as you lower and help straighten it, the gluteus maximus and adductor magnus extend the hip to drive you back to standing, and the gluteus medius keeps the pelvis and front knee in line. The slight forward lean you need to reach under the thigh shifts a little more of the work toward the hips. The trunk works hard too, because the load hangs on one side: in a study of amateur athletes doing forward lunges while holding one dumbbell, the erector spinae, external oblique and rectus abdominis on the side opposite the weight were more active than on the loaded side.
It suits people who already lunge well and want a single-leg exercise that also trains coordination and trunk control. Build up with a steady Bodyweight Lunge and a loaded lunge such as the Dumbbell Lunge first. If the pass costs you your balance, practice the hand-off from a fixed split stance before adding the step, and the Kettlebell Figure 8 is a good way to get comfortable passing a bell between your legs.
Muscles Worked
- Gluteus Maximus
- Primary
- Vastus Lateralis
- Primary
- Vastus Medialis
- Primary
- Rectus Femoris
- High
- Adductor Magnus
- Medium
- Erector Spinae
- Medium
- External Oblique
- Medium
- Gluteus Medius
- Medium
Instructions
- Stand tall with your feet about hip-width apart, holding a kettlebell by the handle in your left hand at your side, with your right arm relaxed.
- Brace your core and keep your chest up.
- Take a long step forward with your left foot.
- Bend both knees and lower until your left thigh is about parallel to the floor and your right knee hovers just above the ground, with your right heel lifted.
- Keep your left knee pointing over your toes and your left shin close to vertical.
- Hinge slightly forward from the hips with a flat back and reach your right hand under your left thigh from the inside.
- Pass the kettlebell under your left thigh from your left hand to your right hand, letting go only once your right hand has a firm grip.
- Push through your whole left foot to step back to standing, with the kettlebell now at your right side.
- Step forward with your right foot, lower into the lunge and pass the bell under your right thigh from your right hand to your left hand.
- Keep alternating legs, passing the bell under the front thigh on every rep.
Common Mistakes
Rounding the back to reach the bell
Folding the chest down toward the floor to make the pass loads the lower back, so hinge only slightly from the hips with a flat back and keep the bell close to the thigh.
Passing before the lunge is set
Starting the hand-off while you are still stepping or dropping pulls you off balance, so lower first and pass only once you are steady at the bottom.
Front knee caving in
Letting the front knee fall inward as the bell passes the inside of the thigh strains the knee, so keep it pointing over your toes.
Taking too short a step
A short step drives the front knee far forward, which adds stress to that knee and leaves little room under the thigh for the pass.
Dropping onto the back knee
Letting the back knee crash into the floor jars the kneecap, so lower it under control until it hovers just above the ground.
Using a bell that is too heavy
A bell you cannot pass smoothly turns the hand-off into a swing and pulls the torso over the front leg.
Injuries
Kettlebell Lunge Pass Through is a medium risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The bell is usually light, but you are reaching under your leg in a deep split stance with the weight on one side, so most problems come from losing balance, rounding the back to make the pass, or letting the front knee drift.
The front knee and the lower back are the main strain points. Stepping forward means the front leg has to brake your body as you land, and leaning far over the thigh while the front knee shoots forward piles even more stress onto the front of that knee. Take a step long enough that your front shin stays close to vertical, hinge only slightly from the hips with a flat back, and keep the bell close to your thigh so your hands come to it rather than your chest folding down. Settle at the bottom before you pass, and lower the back knee under control so it hovers just above the floor instead of dropping onto it.
To make it easier, use a lighter bell, lunge only partway down, or do the pass from a fixed split stance without stepping. The Kettlebell Goblet Reverse Lunge keeps the weight centered and steps backward, which many people find steadier and easier on the knees. To progress, use a heavier bell, slow down the lowering, or move on to a heavier loaded lunge such as the Kettlebell Front Rack Walking Lunge.
Stop if you feel sharp pain in the knee, hip, groin or lower back, or if you cannot keep your balance through the pass. A stretch at the front of the back hip is normal; pain is not.
- Equipment
- Kettlebell
- Modality
- Strength
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
Alternative Exercises
Other Names for the Kettlebell Lunge Pass Through
The Kettlebell Lunge Pass Through is also known as:
- Figure 8 Lunge
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: Should you step forward or backward on a lunge pass through?
Both versions are common, and the one shown here steps forward. Stepping forward asks more of the front knee: in a study of 20 healthy women, forward lunges produced greater quadriceps force and kneecap joint loading than backward lunges. If your knees are sensitive or you wobble when stepping forward, step back into a reverse lunge and pass the bell under the front thigh the same way.
- Q: Which hand passes the kettlebell?
The outside hand passes it under the front thigh to the inside hand, so with your left foot forward the bell goes from your left hand to your right hand. You stand up holding it on the other side, ready to lunge with the other leg.
- Q: How do you count reps?
Most programs count each lunge and pass as one rep and give the number per leg, so 8 reps per side means 16 passes in total. Sets of 8 to 12 per side with a bell you can pass smoothly are a common place to start.
- Q: How heavy should the kettlebell be?
Lighter than you would use for a regular loaded lunge. The bell has to travel under your thigh in one smooth hand-off while you balance in a split stance, so pick a weight you can pass without leaning over or swinging it, then build up.
- Q: Is it the same as a kettlebell figure 8?
No. The Kettlebell Figure 8 passes the bell around both legs from a fixed wide stance, while the lunge pass through adds a step and a full lunge on every rep, so it works the legs much harder.