How many reps of the cable reverse lunge with row should you do per side when you are new to the exercise?

Use a light to moderate weight for 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps per side, and master a bodyweight reverse lunge before you add the cable row on top.

What can you do instead of the cable reverse lunge with row if you don't have a cable machine?

A resistance band anchored at chest height trains the same lunge-and-row combination without a cable machine. Without either, alternating a bodyweight reverse lunge with a single-arm dumbbell row rehearses the same two patterns.

What is the cable reverse lunge with row good for, and when should you skip it?

It is a compact full-body pattern that builds leg strength, back strength, and balance closer to real-world reach-and-step tasks than isolated machines. Skip it if you're chasing maximum row or lunge strength separately, or if your balance on one leg is still unstable, since the lunge demands that first.

Intermediate

Cable Reverse Lunge with Row

Stepping back into a lunge while rowing a cable ties lower-body single-leg strength to an upper-body pull, and the offset load makes the trunk brace against rotation the whole time. It is a compact full-body pattern that builds leg strength, back strength, and balance at once, closer to real-world reach-and-step tasks than isolated machines. Slot it in as a full-body accessory or a unilateral strength and stability builder.

Equipment: Cables
Body part: Back, Quads
Type: Functional, Strength
Browse by muscle: Gluteus Maximus, Latissimus Dorsi
Browse by movement: Horizontal Pull, Lunge

How to do it

1
Set a handle at about chest height and stand facing the machine, holding it in one hand, arm extended.
2
Set your feet hip-width and brace your trunk with the cable under tension.
3
Step back into a reverse lunge, lowering until both knees bend near ninety degrees.
4
As you push back up to standing, row the handle to your lower ribs.
5
Extend the arm and step back into the next lunge, complete your reps, then switch arm and leg.

Tips

Keep your shoulders square against the cable's one-sided pull as you row.
Sync the row to finish as you stand so the movement feels like one connected rep.
Push through the front heel to stand and keep the front knee tracking over the toes.

Variations

Common mistakes

The trailing knee slams into the floor at the bottom of the lunge instead of stopping just short, adding unnecessary impact rep after rep.
The step length changes from rep to rep, so one lunge lands shallow and the next lands deep with no consistent knee angle to build on.
The front heel lifts at the bottom as the knee drifts forward, shifting your weight onto the ball of the foot and making the drive back up unstable.
The working foot's arch collapses inward as it plants at the bottom of the lunge, letting the ankle and knee roll in under load.

Frequently asked

How many reps of the cable reverse lunge with row should you do per side when you are new to the exercise?: Use a light to moderate weight for 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps per side, and master a bodyweight reverse lunge before you add the cable row on top.
What can you do instead of the cable reverse lunge with row if you don't have a cable machine?: A resistance band anchored at chest height trains the same lunge-and-row combination without a cable machine. Without either, alternating a bodyweight reverse lunge with a single-arm dumbbell row rehearses the same two patterns.
What is the cable reverse lunge with row good for, and when should you skip it?: It is a compact full-body pattern that builds leg strength, back strength, and balance closer to real-world reach-and-step tasks than isolated machines. Skip it if you're chasing maximum row or lunge strength separately, or if your balance on one leg is still unstable, since the lunge demands that first.

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