Lunges are a safe exercise for older adults

Photo by Michał Parzuchowski | Unsplash

By Lynne Christensen
Posted on May 27, 2026

If you don’t feel as strong as you once did, it’s not surprising. Everyone loses muscle mass with age. Muscle weakness in the legs can make it difficult to get up from a chair, walk or climb stairs. And it increases the risk of falling.

But muscle weakness is not inevitable. You can build leg strength and stability with a targeted exercise routine. One recommended exercise is the lunge.

“A lot of my patients roll their eyes when I show them the lunge,” said Christina Ruggeri, a physical therapist at Harvard-affiliated Spaulding Rehabilitation. “But this is an excellent exercise, especially for older adults.”

What are lunges?

A lunge is a lower-body exercise that resembles a modified single-leg squat. For the basic forward lunge exercise, start with your legs together. Step forward so you are in a split stance, with one foot in front and the other behind. Bend your knees to lower your body, and return to a standing position.

“Your back knee is going to essentially kiss the floor,” Ruggeri said.

Other variations include the reverse lunge, walking lunge and side lunge. The muscles worked during lunges are the quadriceps (front of the thigh), hamstrings (back of the thigh) and gluteal muscles (buttocks). This exercise also engages the hips, core and back muscles.

Lunges are great for older adults because they help improve strength, flexibility, coordination and balance.

“You need these to do the lunge, and you also use them for basic daily activities like walking, negotiating stairs, or even getting up from the floor,” Ruggeri said.

If you’re sitting on the floor playing with your grandchildren or you happen to fall and have trouble getting up, the way to push yourself back up is to work through the lunge position.

Start slowly

Lunges are generally safe for everyone, including older adults. But there are exceptions.

“You must have the leg strength to do it correctly to prevent injury,” Ruggeri said. “You shouldn’t strain when doing a lunge.”

Straining can lead to muscle or tendon injuries that can take weeks to heal. People with significant knee, hip or back problems should check with their doctor, a physical therapist or personal trainer before starting an exercise program that includes lunges.

If you don’t have sufficient leg strength, don’t think that’s a reason to avoid the lunge. Instead, work to build up the strength to do it. Start light, go slow and progress when you feel strong enough.

Best lunge variations for seniors

“If someone attempts to do a lunge and they are struggling, I suggest starting with simple modifications,” Ruggeri said. For example:

Instead of lowering your back knee all the way toward the floor, go only halfway down or even less. Gradually increase the depth of the lunges.
If you have balance issues, brace yourself next to a wall and then gently lower yourself down partway. You can also hold on to a railing or a cane for balance. If your right foot is forward, hold the support with your left hand for stability.
Place your front foot on a low step or box to reduce the range of motion.

Ruggeri suggests starting with two sets of 10 lunges, going a quarter of the way down, for several weeks. Once you feel strong enough, do one set going halfway and one set going a quarter of the way. Keep increasing every few weeks.

If you’re having difficulty with the forward lunge, try a reverse lunge by starting with your legs together and stepping backward into the lunge position. This can be easier on the knees.

Another way to make lunges easier is to perform them in a pool.

Don’t be in a rush. It takes about nine weeks of consistent training to build strength.

Once you can do lunges easily, you can increase the difficulty by adding weights. Start by holding 5 pounds or less, and gradually increase the weight.

Alternatives to lunges

If you don’t yet have the strength to do a lunge, you can start with the modifications described above or try a basic squat or sit-to-stand. For a sit-to-stand, stand in front of a chair and move as though you were sitting down, but instead, just tap the seat with your buttocks, and then stand up again.

If this is too difficult, place a pillow on the chair. Do two sets of 10, tapping the pillow. Continue working up until you can remove the pillow.