On this edition of #techniquetuesday we will discuss the Lunge. The lunge is a great lower body exercise that works some of the major muscle groups of the legs- the Quads, the Hammies and the glutes. In addition to this, it also trains dynamic single leg stability and motor control and depending upon the variation you chose to perform one could also throw in half kneeling stability work and eccentric quadriceps work into the mix. All in all its a great exercise.
However, it doesn’t seem to be the most enjoyable exercise as many seem to hurt themselves while doing it. So lets try to do em right.
Avoid these common mistakes-
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WATCH OUT FOR-
- Knees going past the toes
- Heel lifting of the floor
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WATCH OUT FOR-
- Knees going past the inner border of the foot (aka excessive valgus)
INSTEAD TRY THIS-
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TRY TO –
- Shift your weight back on to your heel with the heel of the front leg flat on the ground.
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TRY TO –
- Keep your knees aligned over your feet
VARIATION-
The above lunge exercises seem to work the anterior chain with the focus on quadriceps (Don’t get me wrong, you are still working all the muscles). As a variation, to get more of my posterior chain muscles (Hamstrings, glutes) or to avoid straining sore knees/quads I like this variation-
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Keep at it, do it right and do it often. Until next time
Pursue excellence-
Abhijit Minhas
(BPT,MS,CMP,FMT)