Despite your week-long dread, leg day has arrived. It’s a compound movement that strengthens your lower body and core. The first squat people usually do is the back squat because it strengthens the lower body and core. Barbell squats help you move a great deal of weight. There are two options that are most effective for building max lower body strength, these are deadlifts and squats. Although squats are important, they are not the only lower body workouts. If you want a well-rounded lower body routine, you need to include leg accessory exercises. That’s where lunges and their variations come in.
The traditional forward lunge is a great way to work one side of your body at a time. It’s simple, relatively easy to master, and doesn’t require any equipment or significant space. You can correct strength and muscle imbalances by training one side of your body at a time. Working to improve the weaknesses in your squat and deadlift is important for maintaining strong, healthy, and efficient movement patterns. The more efficiently you can perform your big lifts, the more weight you will be able to move.
You can also get these benefits by performing other exercises, such as forward lunges. There are many different ways to lunge that can help you get the most out of your leg day workout. If you want to add some variety and strength to your routine, try these lunge variations.
How do I do a lunge?
So, how to lunge? Lunging refers to the act of moving forward or backward with one leg while lowering the other. Not quite got the gist? It's the OG ‘down on one knee' engagement stance.
What are lunges good for?
Arnie Schwarzenegger once famously said, “The lunge is the king of all exercises.” And he's right. Whether you're trying to tone your legs, build your butt or strengthen your calves, lunges are a great way to achieve your fitness goals. Not only are jump squats a great exercise, but they can also be adapted to your fitness level, so there's no reason not to do them.
What muscles do lunges work?
An exercise that targets multiple areas of the body, lunges specifically target the hips, glutes, quads, hamstrings, core, and inner thigh muscles.
How many lunges should I do?
In order to build more strength and see an increase in muscle tone, you should work out in the 8-12 rep range. Too easy? Add some weight or slow down the pace. Think slower means easier? Think again. This will result in your muscles being under tension for a longer period of time, making you work harder.
Best Lunge Variations
TRX Lunge
There’s nothing “basic” about bodyweight exercises. If you are new to working out, it is especially important to master the fundamentals. If you are coming back from surgery or injury, mastering the fundamentals is also important. The TRX lunge is a move that helps to improve your balance and coordination while working your legs at the same time. The TRX lunge is a great way to improve your balance and coordination while working your legs.
You can provide support to your lower body and core by holding the TRX handles while you lunge. This strategy can help you maintain your balance and improve your lower body strength while learning different lunge variations.
Benefits of the TRX Lunge
- Using TRX handles to support your lunge supports you in learning the mechanics of the lift.
- The TRX lunge helps strengthen your lower body to prepare you for unsupported lunges.
- Athletes who are looking to try more advanced variations of lunges can use TRX lunges to support their balance and strength as they develop.
How to Do the TRX Lunge
Grab TRX handles in your hands at chest level. Back up to a point where the handles will support your weight if you lean back, but there's enough slack for you to bring them to hip level. Step back into a reverse lunge while holding the handles loosely. Touch your back knee to the floor gently. Stand up by pulling the handles toward your chest, letting them help support your weight and balance. Reset and repeat.
Reverse Lunge
The first lunge that people usually learn is the reverse lunge, even if they need some help from TRX handles. This lunge is a variation of the traditional forward lunge that requires you to take a step forward. Instead of taking a step forward, the lifter takes a step back in the reverse lunge.
Although people who lift weights differ in their preferences based on their own sense of proprioception and biomechanics, many find the reverse lunge a bit easier to balance. If you are looking to lift heavier weights, the reverse lunge can help you to manage the weight. If you are just learning how to do the reverse lunge, it can help you to understand it better overall.
Benefits of the Reverse Lunge
- Many lifters see the reverse lunge as easier to balance than the traditional forward lunge, which makes it a great stepping stone to more advanced moves.
- Because you may find it easier to balance, you can potentially load this variation up fairly heavy.
- The reverse lunge can help your hips stay stable at the bottom of your squat.
How to Do the Reverse Lunge
Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart. Ground down into your left foot for balance. Put your right foot back behind you, so your back knee is at a 90 degree angle to the floor. Once you have your right foot behind you and both of your knees are bent. Bend your right leg at the knee so that your thigh is parallel to the ground. Make sure your front leg is bent at a 90 degree angle. After you complete the standing position, bring your back foot up and return it to the starting position. Repeat on the opposite side.
Reverse Lunge With Rotation
This is a reverse lunge with a literal twist. You will need some core strength to keep your torso upright when performing a reverse lunge, especially when doing loaded variations. Making the move more challenging by adding a rotation. Working your obliques more will also help mix things up.
Your body will rotate toward the side of your front leg as your back leg steps back. This means that if you step backwards with your left leg, you will rotate your body towards the right. Keep your shoulders back and down, and rotate through your rib cage rather than tugging your hips out of position.
Benefits of the Reverse Lunge With Rotation
- Adding a rotation to your reverse lunge increases your core engagement during this lower body move.
- You’ll involve your obliques in this one, which bodes well for developing more side-to-side stability.
- Since your upper body won’t be staying still, you’ll increase the balance and coordination challenge with this one.
How to Do the Reverse Lunge With Rotation
Set up to perform a reverse lunge. Maintain a tall torso. As you send your left leg back behind you, twist your torso to the right so that you are facing the right side of the room. twist your torso to the right so your left knee touches the ground Untwist as you come back to standing. Reset and repeat on the other side.
Pendulum Lunge
The lunge pendulum is a more dynamic way to do your regular forward and reverse lunge. This means that you will perform the forward lunge and then immediately go into the reverse lunge without stopping. First, you'll step backward into a lunge. From there, you'll swing your body forward into a lunge. Doing this will cause you to go into a reverse lunge without your foot touching the floor in the middle.
If you are unable to transition without landing on the ground, that is acceptable. You can tap your toe down at the center standing position between different types of lunges if you need to. If you want to increase the difficulty of the balance challenge, you can slowly reduce the number of toe touches, and eventually eliminate them altogether.
Benefits of the Pendulum Lunge
- By incorporating a forward lunge and a reverse lunge into each rep, you’ll be adding quality volume to your training.
- You dramatically increase the balance challenge with this variation, since one leg will stay grounded while the other acts as a pendulum.
- This move teaches a lot of movement discipline — moving too fast or too slow can both cause balance upsets.
How to Do the Pendulum Lunge
Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Ground your right foot into the floor for stability. Step back with your left foot to perform a reverse lunge. Stand up straight, then bend your knees until your back thigh is parallel to the ground. When your back knee gently touches or approaches the ground, come back to standing. Keeping your left foot off the ground, transition into a forward lunge. Repeat for reps, then switch sides.
Walking Lunge
Walking lunges are a common exercise for people who are dedicated to leg training and have a lot of mental stamina. While walking lunges might looks a bit strange, they are actually a great way to work out your quads, glutes, and hamstrings.