A reverse lunge knee drive joins two movements. You step back into a lunge, then push up and swing the back leg through, driving that knee up high in front of you while you balance on the other leg. The front leg's thigh and buttock do the lifting, and the standing hip and ankle work hard to hold you steady at the top. This is an advanced balance exercise. It tends to come later in leg and sports programs, once the plain reverse lunge feels easy.

How to do the reverse lunge knee drive

Stand tall with your feet about hip width apart, beside a kitchen counter or rail you can reach with one hand.
Take a long step back with one leg, landing on the ball of the foot. Bend both knees to about a right angle, letting the back knee lower toward the floor without touching it. Keep the front knee over the ankle and pointing over your second toe.
Push through the front foot to stand up, and in the same movement swing the back leg forward and drive that knee up in front of you. The voice guide asks you to bring it toward your chest, and in the video the thigh rises to about hip height or a little above.
Balance for a moment on the standing leg, standing tall. Let your arms swing as if you were running, as in the video, if it helps your balance.
Place the foot back down beside the other to return to the start. Repeat on the same leg for the set, then switch sides.

What you should feel

Work in the buttock and front of the thigh of the front leg during the lunge, then in the front of the hip of the leg that drives up. The standing ankle and the side of the standing hip work to keep you steady at the top.

Common mistakes

Taking a short step back, so the front knee shoots forward over the toes.
The front knee rolling in toward the middle as you push up.
Leaning back or rounding forward as the knee comes up, instead of staying tall.
Speeding up until you wobble at the top or bang the back knee on the floor.

How often

Many programs begin with 5 to 10 reps on each leg for 2 or 3 sets, slow enough that you can pause steady at the top of every rep. Your physio will adjust this.

Stop and check with your physio if

Sharp pain in the knee or hip, or the knee gives way.
You lose your balance and cannot steady yourself without grabbing hold.
Chest pain or pressure, dizziness or feeling faint, a racing or irregular heartbeat, or being far more out of breath than the effort should cause.

From the clinic

Master the reverse lunge first, then practice the top position on its own with single leg stance before joining the two. Nobody in the video holds on, but for your first sessions keep a counter or rail close enough to touch, and clear the floor around you. After a fall in the last year, or if you feel unsteady on your feet, keep one hand on the support all the way through and ask your physio whether this exercise suits you yet. Knee pain is the other common reason to hold back. If the front of your knee aches in the lunge, or you have had knee surgery, ask your physio how deep to lunge and whether to leave out the knee drive for now.

If you have had a hip replacement, get the go-ahead from your surgeon or physio before you try this exercise. The lunge takes the leg back behind your body, the knee drive then bends that same hip well past a right angle, and many surgeons ask you to avoid that for the first months after some operations. With a heart condition or high blood pressure, check with your doctor before adding harder leg work like this, and breathe steadily rather than holding your breath. If chest pain, pressure or tightness does not ease quickly when you rest, spreads to your arm, neck, jaw, stomach or back, or comes with sweating, feeling sick, feeling light-headed or being short of breath, call emergency services straight away, as this can be a heart attack. If it eases quickly and none of these happen, get medical advice the same day, and do not exercise again until you have been checked. If you faint while exercising, call emergency services, even if you feel fine again quickly.

Written and checked by the PocketPhysio editorial team. Last updated 2026-09-26.

This page is general education, not a diagnosis or a personal treatment plan. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, see a physiotherapist or doctor before starting new exercises.

Reverse lunge knee drive