Reverse Lunges: The Day I Chose Burpees

Decoding CrossFit #16 — Because stepping backwards while holding 15 kg can apparently change a person.

There are movements I dislike in CrossFit...Burpees have always held a very secure position near the top of that list...I thought nothing could threaten their status!

Then I met dumbbell reverse lunges...

And for the first time in my life, if someone had asked me to choose between lunges and burpees, I might actually have chosen the burpees!

Yes...I'm that serious!

What is a reverse lunge?

A reverse lunge is exactly what the name suggests: instead of stepping forward into the lunge, you step backwards.

One foot moves behind you, both knees bend, and then you push through the front foot to return to the starting position. Compared with a forward lunge, stepping backwards can feel more controlled for some people — although “controlled” was not necessarily the word going through my mind during this workout!

The board prescribed dumbbell front-rack reverse lunges. A traditional dumbbell front rack normally means holding one or two dumbbells at shoulder level, with the weight supported close to the body.

I used one 15 kg dumbbell, held centrally against my chest. This is closer to a goblet hold, and it was the version that allowed me to keep working.

That is one thing I appreciate about CrossFit: the board gives you the workout, but you can adjust the movement to the person doing it.

The workout

The main workout was an 18-minute AMRAP:

• 20 barbell deadlifts
• 20 dumbbell reverse lunges
• 20 V-ups

I used 40 kg for the deadlifts and the 15 kg dumbbell for the lunges.

The instructor - believing in us more than ourselves, or just making fun of us - told us that we should try to complete at least nine rounds.

I laughed...Out loud!

“If I manage at least five, I’ll be happy.”

She did not dismiss my goal or make it feel too small. She stayed with me, encouraged me and helped me keep moving until the end.

...And I completed my five rounds!

Twenty lunges are not just twenty lunges

On paper, 20 reverse lunges do not look too frightening. Unfortunately, after the first round, the number is still 20...And after the second round, it is still 20...By the time you have completed five rounds, that is 100 weighted reverse lunges!

Suddenly my dramatic reaction feels completely reasonable...I had to take small pauses to breathe before continuing. The dumbbell was close to my chest, my legs were negotiating the terms of their surrender, and the next set of 20 was always waiting for me...

That was when burpees began to look strangely attractive!

When technique starts arguing with fatigue

The lunges were not the only challenge...I was also trying to pay attention to my deadlift posture!

My posture is something I still need to improve, particularly when I get tired. During the deadlifts, I was consciously trying to keep my back in a better position rather than simply pulling the bar from the floor as quickly as possible...My lower back still had a few things to say about it...

This is where choosing a manageable weight and listening to coaching matter. Completing the repetitions is not worth much if technique disappears completely along the way. Fatigue makes it easier to round the back, rush the movement or forget the positions we managed perfectly during the warm-up.

The goal is not just to move the bar...It is to keep learning how to move it well!

And then came the V-ups

I did regular V-ups for this workout. At the beginning, the idea is to lift the legs and upper body together and reach towards the feet.

Towards the end, my body began offering alternative interpretations:

• lift the legs but not the upper body;
• lift the upper body but not the legs;
• lift both, but reach absolutely nothing;
• lie down and reconsider every decision that led to this moment.

I kept doing what I could, even when the movement was no longer as pretty or as high as it had been in the first round...

Five rounds can be the right goal

Someone else’s target was nine rounds. Mine was five. That did not make my workout less valid. I chose a number that felt challenging but possible for me, and then I worked until I reached it.

The best part was having an instructor who understood that. She supported my goal instead of comparing it with anyone else’s and helped me finish what I had decided to do.

Progress is not always doing the number written on the board. Sometimes it is knowing yourself well enough to choose your own target — and being stubborn enough to reach it.

Five rounds meant 100 deadlifts, 100 weighted reverse lunges and 100 increasingly questionable V-ups.

I think I earned the right to be happy with that!

And I also earned the right to say something I never expected to say:

Next time, can I have the burpees instead? 🤣