TRX Forward Lunge with Overhead Reach
What Is the TRX Forward Lunge with Overhead Reach?
TRX Forward Lunge with Overhead Reach is a compound exercise that primarily targets the quadriceps and also engages the glutes, adductors, shoulders and core. It is an intermediate-level movement in which you face away from the anchor, step forward into a lunge and raise straight arms from shoulder height to overhead, so the legs, trunk and shoulders have to work together on every rep.
The lunge builds single-leg strength and balance, while the overhead reach asks the trunk to stay tall without arching and takes the shoulders through their full overhead range. At the bottom, with the rear hip extended and the arms overhead, the front of the trailing hip also gets a stretch. That mix makes it a good fit for a full-body warm-up, a suspension-training circuit or a lower-body day that also works on posture. Unlike TRX lunges done facing the anchor, where you can pull on the handles to help yourself up, this version leaves the legs to do nearly all of the work, and the straps mainly guide the arms.
The leg work is that of a forward lunge. In a study of trained adults doing dumbbell forward lunges, a long step that kept the front shin close to vertical produced more quadriceps, glute, hamstring and calf activity than a step half that length. A shorter step also lets the front knee travel further past the toes, which shifts more of the stress onto the knee.The front deltoids lift the arms, and the abs and serratus anterior keep the ribs down and the shoulder blades moving as the hands pass overhead.
It suits anyone who can already do a controlled Bodyweight Lunge and raise both arms fully overhead without leaning back. If the lunge itself is the problem, start with the TRX Reverse Lunge, which lets the straps help; if the overhead reach is the limit, the TRX Overhead Squat trains the same arm position on two feet.
Muscles Worked
- Rectus Femoris
- Primary
- Vastus Lateralis
- Primary
- Vastus Medialis
- Primary
- Gluteus Maximus
- High
- Adductor Magnus
- Medium
- Deltoid
- Medium
- Gluteus Medius
- Medium
Instructions
- Adjust the straps to mid length, hold a handle in each hand with an overhand grip and stand facing away from the anchor.
- Walk forward until the straps are taut, then stand tall with your feet hip-width apart and your arms straight out in front at shoulder height.
- Brace your abs and keep your ribs down.
- Take a long step forward with one foot and lower straight down until the front shin is close to vertical and the back knee hovers just above the floor, with the back heel lifted.
- As you lower, raise your straight arms from shoulder height to overhead, finishing with the hands about shoulder-width apart or slightly wider, in line with the straps.
- Keep your torso upright, your elbows straight and the front knee tracking over your second toe at the bottom.
- Push through the front foot to step back to the start, lowering your arms to shoulder height as you rise.
- Repeat on the other leg, alternating sides for the set.
Common Mistakes
Stepping too short
A short step drives the front knee far past the toes and lifts the front heel, which piles stress onto the knee.
Letting the front knee cave in
The front knee drifting inside the second toe loads the knee unevenly and loses balance.
Arching the lower back to reach higher
Flaring the ribs to get the hands overhead moves the work from the shoulders into the lower back.
Bending the elbows
Bent arms turn the overhead reach into a short pull and take the work off the shoulders and trunk.
Standing too close to the anchor
Slack straps no longer guide the arms or give the hands anything to brace against.
Pitching the chest forward
Leaning over the front thigh sends the arms forward instead of overhead and throws the balance onto the toes.
Injuries
TRX Forward Lunge with Overhead Reach is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The load is your own body weight, but the forward step and the overhead reach each have a weak point. The front knee takes the most stress when the step is too short and the knee drives well past the toes, or when it caves inward. The lower back is the other strain point: when shoulder range runs out, the ribs flare and the lower back arches to get the hands higher.
Take a step long enough that the front shin stays close to vertical at the bottom, and keep the front knee tracking over the second toe. Brace the abs and keep the ribs down as the arms rise, and only reach as high as you can without arching. Lower under control rather than dropping onto the back knee.
To make it easier, keep the arms at shoulder height and just lunge, shorten the range, or switch to the TRX Reverse Lunge, where stepping back and holding the straps is gentler on the front knee. Once it is easy, slow the lowering phase or pause at the bottom, then progress to an externally loaded overhead lunge such as the Dumbbell Overhead Lunge.
Stop if you feel sharp pain in the knee, a pinch or pain at the front or top of the shoulder as the arms go overhead, or pain in the lower back, and regress until the movement is pain-free.
- Primary Focus
- Quads
- Equipment
- Suspension trainer and body weight
- Modality
- Strength
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
Alternative Exercises
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: Should I face toward or away from the anchor?
Face away from it. Facing the anchor turns the move into an assisted lunge where you can pull on the handles to stand up, while facing away leaves the legs to do the work and lets the straps guide the arms overhead.
- Q: How is this different from the TRX Y Raise?
In the TRX Y Raise you face the anchor, lean back and pull your body up with straight arms, which works the upper back and rear shoulders. Here the arms rise forward to overhead while the legs do most of the work.
- Q: What if I can't get my arms all the way overhead?
Raise them only as high as you can while the ribs stay down and the lower back stays neutral. Reaching higher by arching just hides the missing shoulder range, so keep the arms at shoulder height until the overhead position comes without a lean.
- Q: Should I alternate legs or do one side at a time?
Either works. Alternating brings you back to the start between reps and is easier to balance, while finishing every rep on one leg before switching keeps that leg working longer and is harder.
- Q: How do I make it harder?
Slow the lowering phase, pause with the back knee just off the floor, or take a longer step. When body weight is no longer enough, hold weight overhead instead with the Dumbbell Overhead Lunge.