Lunges - Great Quad Exercises and So Much More

Work The Thighs, Hips, And Glutes In One Exercise

Lunges and all of their awesome variations are one of the go-to leg exercises for toning and strengthening the thighs, glutes, and hips.  

They also require a little bit of balance, coordination, and good posture.

So as a bonus, you also get some work for the calf, back, and abdominal muscles to provide that stability.

You can do them either standing in place, stepping forward or back and then returning to your original position.  Or you can do them walking.  That's nice because you can pick a spot off in the distance and say I'm going to lunge walk from here to there.

As you will see below, while you are doing that, make sure you are taking nice long steps so you are not putting stress on the front knee.  You want the stress to be on the muscles, not the joints.

At the same time, these aren't just long steps.  To get the benefit, you have to do them right.  When people get tired, they sometimes think a long step and holding it for a second is the same thing as a lunge.  That won't cut it.  Focus on form.

Technique

• If you are new to these, don’t hesitate to grab on to a chair or the wall for balance. Doing them right requires some coordination, strength and stability.
• From a standing position with your feet about hip width apart and your hands at your sides, step your right foot forward about 2 to 3 feet.
• Contract your abs and make sure your front knee has a little bit of flex in it. Don’t lock it out.
• Bend the knees to lower your body straight down. The back knee should come close to the ground, but don’t let it touch. At the bottom of the movement, both knees should be at 90 degree angles.
• The shin should be perpendicular to the ground. Do not let your knee to go out beyond your toes.
• Keep your abs contracted and keep your torso vertical. Make sure you are not leaning forward.
• The front foot is flat on the ground throughout the lunge.
• Press back up through the heel (not the toe) to the starting position squeezing the butt and the thighs. Pushing through the heel will make sure you are hitting the big leg muscles and not the small ones.
• Return to the starting position and switch legs.

Keep In Mind...

• Don’t have both of your legs in a straight line. Keep your feet horizontally separated by at least six inches. That will give you a wider and more stable base of support.
• Do not lean forward during the movement. Leaning forward will put stress on the back. Concentrate on keeping the upper body vertical. Keeping your eyes straight ahead will help with that.
• Make sure the front knee does not extend beyond the toes to avoid knee injury.
• Keep your front knee in line with your ankle and foot. Do not let it collapse inward.
• A mirror will be a big help until you get the hang of doing them right.

Modifiers

• Walking Lunge - If you are outside or somewhere you have some space, instead of bringing the front foot back to the starting position, bring the back foot up and keep walking.  In fact, as you do the movement clap your hands under your leg to make sure you are getting down far enough and not just walking and taking long steps.  Not uncommon especially after fatigue starts to set in.
• Reverse or Backwards - Just a backwards walking lunge.  This will work balance and stabilizer muscles you had no idea you even had.  Make sure you step back far enough to keep the stress off of the front knee.
• When you get to the point where you can do 15 or more reps per leg for at least 3 sets, you may need to add some weight.
• Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides during the movement.
• Hold a weight in front of you with your arms at a 90 degree angle.
• Hold a medicine ball in front of you with your arms at a 90 degree angle.
• You may or may not have access to a barbell in a boot camp workout situation. But since these exercises can be done anywhere, who knows? You might be in a gym and have one handy. 
• LUNGE BACKWARDS.  Do backwards walking lunges.  These are outstanding for balance and coordination.  Remember to take nice long backward steps. 

• Twist: This is a good way to incorporate some abs and shoulders into the exercise.

While holding the weight (rock, concrete paver, dumbbell, weight, medicine ball) in front of you, twist your body to the side of the front leg.

Come back up straight and twist to the other side as you lunge forward with that leg.