Also known as: floating lunge, floating split squat, no-touch lunge, single-leg floating lunge

What is Airborne Lunge?

An Airborne Lunge is a single-leg bodyweight lunge performed without the trailing foot touching the floor, emphasizing balance and control. It primarily targets the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings and calves. Difficulty: hard - requires solid single-leg stability, hip control and good ankle mobility for safe reps.

How to Do Airborne Lunge

  1. Balance on one leg: Stand tall on your working leg, raise the opposite knee to hip height, keep a neutral spine and place weight on the ball of the foot.
  2. Reach arms forward: Extend both arms forward to counterbalance, engage your core and squeeze the standing leg glute to enhance immediate stability.
  3. Hinge at hips: Begin a controlled hip hinge while bending the standing knee, ensure the elevated foot stays off the ground and the knee tracks over toes.
  4. Control the descent: Lower slowly with tension in the glute and hamstring, avoid the knee caving inward and stop at a comfortable depth without touching the rear foot.
  5. Drive up powerfully: Push through the ball of the foot to fully extend the hip, drive the elevated knee forward and strongly contract the glute at the top.
  6. Switch sides: Rest briefly between sets, then repeat the same controlled reps on the opposite leg while maintaining form to prevent fatigue-related breakdown.

Muscle Groups

Quadriceps, Hamstring, Calves, Glutes

Description

Begin by balancing on one leg, squeeze the glute to help you stabilise. Stand tall, with your elevated leg bent, knee raised at hip height. Your weight should distributed across your foot, don't lean back on your heel.

Reach your arms forward to counterbalance, keep your back neutral & begin hinging at the hips and bending the knee. Grip with your toes and drive your knee forward over the foot, don't let the knee cave inwards.

Keep tension on the glute and hamstring, control the descent. Reach the heel of the free leg behind you and continue as low as comfortable, without letting the other foot touch the floor.

Pause at the bottom, then drive back up, pushing through the ball of your foot. Fully extend the hip, drive the elevated knee through, and squeeze at the top. Drive your arms to your sides to help you generate power.

Repeat for Repetitions. Switch Sides.
Movement Group: Legs
Equipment: None (bodyweight only)

Progressions and Regressions

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the main benefits of the Airborne Lunge?

The Airborne Lunge builds unilateral leg strength, balance, hip stability and ankle control while targeting quads, glutes and hamstrings. It also improves single-leg coordination and can correct side-to-side strength imbalances.

What common mistakes should I avoid when doing Airborne Lunges?

Avoid letting the knee cave inward, leaning back on the heel, or letting the elevated foot touch the floor. Keep a neutral spine, core engaged and control the descent to reduce injury risk.

How can I progress or regress the Airborne Lunge?

Regress with assisted single-leg squats, elevated front foot or Bulgarian split squats. Progress by adding slow negatives, holding weight, increasing reps, or advancing to explosive split jumps once stability is solid.