Lunges
The lunge is a single-leg exercise in which you step forward, lower until both knees are bent to about 90 degrees, and push back to standing. It builds the quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings one leg at a time and opens the NSW guide's lower body exercise list.
How to Perform It
Stand tall with dumbbells at your sides or a barbell across the upper back. Step forward with one leg and lower the body straight down until the front thigh is about parallel to the ground and the back knee is just above the floor. Keep the front knee tracking over the foot and the torso upright. Push through the front heel to return to standing, then repeat on the other leg. Lunges can be done stepping forward, stepping back, or walking. The guide's prescription is one set of 8 to 12 reps with a weight that cannot be lifted more than 8 to 12 times with maximal effort and proper technique.
Why It Matters for BUD/S
Running in soft sand, climbing over obstacles, and carrying a boat up a berm are all done one leg at a time. The lunge is the strength exercise that most closely matches that single-leg loading, and it exposes a weaker side that two-legged lifts hide. Building single-leg strength also protects the knees and hips, which the guide names as the reason for gaining strength properly: to avoid injury. The lunge demands balance and hip stability, so it complements the bridge and side plank in the core block, and it does so under load, which is closer to what selection will ask of the legs.
Where It Sits in the 26-Week Plan
Lower body strength sessions are scheduled on Tuesday and Saturday for all 26 weeks, paired with the push-up, sit-up, and pull-up block rather than with core work. The guide's split routine puts upper body and lower body on alternate days. Lunges are often the first exercise in the lower body session because they need the freshest legs for balance. Note that Tuesday follows the Monday LSD run and Saturday follows the Friday CHI run, so the legs arrive with some fatigue. Keep the load modest enough that every rep is controlled, and progress by adding weight when 12 reps per leg are clean.
Take a long enough step that the front shin stays vertical at the bottom. A short step pushes the knee forward and shifts the load off the glute.
Related Terms
Lower body strength training in the NSW preparation program builds the leg and posterior chain strength needed for running, swimming kicks, load carriage, and the high-volume physical demands of BUD/S. These sessions target the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves through compound movements.
The leg press is a machine exercise in which you push a loaded sled away from the body with both legs, and the squat is its free-weight equivalent, lowering the body under a bar and standing back up. The NSW guide lists them as alternatives, and either one is the main quadriceps and glute builder in the lower body list.
The bridge is a floor exercise that trains the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back by lifting the hips off the ground while lying on your back. The NSW guide programs it as an alternating single-leg movement, so each rep also tests pelvic stability on one side.
The 1.5-mile run is the final event of the Physical Screening Test (PST) and measures a candidate's running speed and cardiovascular endurance. Performed after the swim and calisthenics events, it tests the ability to produce a fast run effort on fatigued legs — a skill directly relevant to BUD/S demands.
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