Leg Exercise: The Lunge
What is it for?
The Lunge is another great exercise for the legs. It is functional (a movement that is used in everyday life – Beeble). It works the main upper muscles of the legs (the thighs, front and back and the gluteus maximus (bum) – Beeble) and it also uses the smaller supporting muscles in the hip area and in the lower leg for balance. Not only is it useful for our day-to-day lives but because it works on the biggest muscles in our bodies it is also a movement that will use more energy and therefore burn more calories. It uses exactly the same muscles as The Squat but changes in the movement also change the focus of the muscles being used (meaning that in this exercise more effort would come from the glutes than in the squat – Beeble) . This is great for the glutes (bum) and hip supporting muscles. The diagram shows the muscles used, the red being the primary muscles (or main used muscles – Beeble) and the yellow shows the secondary muscles used. You will also note that I have included sections of the abdominal and back muscles as secondary muscles used in the movement. This is because we use our balance and stability muscles a lot more in the lunge than say the squat.
Technique
Out of all the exercises The Lunge has to be the one where I see faults in people’s technique the most. It is important to understand that for the exercise to work correctly we have to be in the most powerful and safe position for the movement. The biggest fault is the presumption that you have to lean forward into the lunge. This is quite wrong as it puts the pressure through the joints and makes the movement weak. The important thing is to consider both the step forwards and the drop into the lunge as two totally separate movements. Keep your upper body completely upright and then your legs must follow the 90 degree rule: every leg joint should be at 90 degrees.
Video Guide
If you watch the short video below you will see that I take a large step forwards but not so large that I am out of my comfort zone. Now the drop down is completely vertical and I stop just short of touching the ground. Don’t use the ground as a measurement but use your legs. You should be 90 degrees at the hip joint and knee joint of your leading leg. Your back leg should drop directly below the line of your body and be at 90 degrees at the knee joint with your heel off the ground. By keeping the 90 degree rule we allow the weight to travel through the muscles and bones and not through the joints. This is the strongest and safest technique to use for the lunge. You can put your arms out to the side for balance although this will obviously change if you are using weights.
The Do’s
- Take a large step forwards
- Keep your body upright
- Drop your body straight down
- Stop at the point where your knees are at 90 degrees
- Push straight up through your legs
- For beginners: complete your repetitions on one side first and then change legs
- Use a mirror to perfect your technique
The Don’ts
- Don’t take too large or too small a step (practice makes perfect – Beeble)
- Don’t lean forwards into the lunge
- Don’t let your front knee travel forwards over your toes
- Don’t let your knees touch the floor
How to make it harder
As with most exercises, to make it harder you need to increase resistance and you will do this with weights. You can use dumbbells in your hands dropped by your side or a barbell across your shoulders. However I would recommend the dumbbells as the barbell can put a lot of pressure on your back, especially if your technique isn’t perfect. Remember the technique stays exactly the same whether you have weights or not.
The more experienced of you may wish to try jumping lunges (very difficult! – Beeble). It uses the same technique as above but the upward movement is powerful enough to get you in the air. Whilst in the air you swap your legs so the leading leg goes to the back and the back leg now comes to the front and you land in a perfect lunge position only to launch yourself immediately into the air again and repeat the exercise. I personally do these in sets of 20 repetitions (10 each side) but only do as many as you can while still keeping your technique perfect. Do not attempt this if you have weak ankles or are carrying any injury (however small – Beeble).
Remember to use a mirror to check your technique.
If you have any further questions on this exercise or if there is another exercise that we have not covered that you would like to know the technique of, then please let me know in the comments section and we will get to it as soon as we can. Thank you.
June 4th, 2007 at 4:58 pm
[...] If you watch the video below you will see that you are more than likely going to stand out at your gym, potentially as a member of ‘the ministry of silly walks’ (Monty Python fans will know what I mean). Remember though that these people watching you bounce up and down will just be jealous of your new exercise technique and the power and fitness benefits you are going to gain over them. You will also be able to see the similarity with the normal lunge (we have written a post on the normal lunge so read this first. Click here. – Beeble) which it has been taken from. To start the movement I always start at the bottom of the movement and power up into the jump. This is to make sure that I get my foot position perfect which in turn will help my technique. After powering up and entering the air you need to take your front leg to the back and your back leg to the front, trying to get your feet at the same distance as before. On your way down keep your legs slightly bent at the knee, do not lock your knees out (meaning; don’t keep your legs completely straight – Beeble) as one you will lose momentum and two it will really jar your knees. Also do not get into the lunge position before you land as you will really hurt yourself and miss the whole spring loading effect we are looking for. As your feet touch the ground your slightly bent knees should allow you legs to bend underneath you slowing your movement down until you are at the lowest point of the lunge or the starting position. At which point, do not wait, you have to power up immediately (like a spring – Beeble) and repeat the process all over again. With this exercise it is very tempting to lean forwards but don’t as this will really affect your technique all round. Really try and concentrate on keeping your upper body upright, for me it can feel like I am leaning backwards but with the use of a mirror you will be able to watch yourself. [...]