You may
have seen people doing deep lunge exercises in a gym
and thought that it was an exercise made only for the
hardcore athlete. There are several ways to do a lunge
and it can be quite beneficial for strength and balance training
for everyone!
What is a lunge?
A lunge exercise is done when one foot
is placed in front of the other and the front knee is
flexed with a transfer of weight to that knee. There
are many variations, but it’s important to remember
that it must be pain free and done with proper form.
When starting off you may do just a few on your right
and left knees and build up to 10-12 repetitions on
each knee.
For a forward lunge, start in a standing position with
your feet parallel to one another and one to two shoe
widths apart. Place one foot about one to two feet forward
and allow your front knee to bend. The excursion of
the lunge is the length from where your toe begins in
the start position to where your heel makes first contact
with the surface after you lunge. If you are shorter
than 5’ 5”, you may want to start with a
one-foot excursion. Progress your lunge excursion gradually.
Perform most of your lunges within a one to two foot
excursion. You may do some of your lunges past this
range if doing an activity that requires longer lunge
movements. Before progressing to longer lunges, follow
these guidelines:
1. The movement should be pain-free.
2. Wobbling or swaying of your knees or torso should
be minimal.
3. Keep your lower back in a neutral position and allow
minimal forward or side-to-side motion of your back
with the lunge.
Control the speed of knee flexion and stop at about
55–60 degrees. Eventually you may go into a deeper
lunge. Allow your back knee to bend and your back foot
to lift up at the heel. Try to align your forward knee
over your first and second toes. Return to the start
position by pushing off of your front foot. Initially,
do your lunge with one foot going forward and back.
Same Side Lunges:
Lunge on the right foot for a set of
five to six repetitions and then do a set of lunges
on the left foot.
Alternating Lunges:
When you have the form, and are not wobbling,
try alternating the lunge foot that you put forward.
Work up to a set with 8 to 12 lunges to each side. In
most workout routines you would like to do two
to three sets of whichever lunge variation that
you choose. If you have an activity that requires speed,
try to increase the speed of your lunges to see how
many you can do in 30 to 45 seconds—especially
if you’re a skier or climber.
Tips and Precautions
If the forward lunge is painful, try
decreasing the depth of the knee flexion and add lunges
in different directions, especially to the sides. If
a lunge is still painful, try unloading it.
Variations
The Unloaded Lunge: Unload a lunge to decrease kneecap
pain by using ski poles, dowels or two chair backs to
support part of your body weight through your arms,
as you bend your knee in the basic lunge. Try to support
enough weight with your arms so that your knees do not
hurt during the lunge.
Deep Lunge: In this lunge you will take a longer stride
with your front foot. You will be bending your back
knee so that it almost touches the floor. If you are
a telemark skier, increase your lunge excursion as your
ability allows, simulating skiing.
Lunge with Hand Weights: Do a basic alternating lunge
with dumbbells or hand weights that you hold at your
side. Start with light weights (3 to 8 lbs.) and work
up to as much weight as you can manage without pain,
while maintaining good form.
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Sidestep
(Lateral) Lunge:
Lunge to one side and then the other
while keeping your feet facing forward and your back
in neutral alignment. Measure your lunge excursion from
the inside of your non-lunging foot to the inside of
your lunging foot. Perform most of your lunges with
an excursion of 1.5 to 2 feet. If you’re a cross-country
or telemark skier or a mountaineer, some of your lunges
should have excursions of 2 to 2.5 feet. You can do
lateral lunges with hand weights held at your sides
or with ski poles. (A more advanced version of this
is a sidestep lunge on stairs. You can do this up two
or three stairs at a time to simulate sidestepping up
a hill in cross-country skiing.)
Lunge with a Biceps Curl:
Doing a lunge with a biceps curl is an
excellent way to exercise your arms, back and legs simultaneously.
Hold a pair of 3 to 5 lbs dumbbells at your sides. You
can start with higher weights if you already do a biceps
curl. Remember that you can not use as much weight as
you normally would use for an isolated biceps curl.
Curl the dumbbells toward your chest as you lunge to
a safe range then lower them back to your sides as you
return to the up-right position. If you do not have
back problems, you can progress to lunges while starting
the dumbbells at your chest. When done in this way,
this lunge will challenge your back and core stability.
Remember to activate your
core muscles before doing the lunge. Lower the dumbbells
toward your lunge foot as you perform the lunge and
return them to your chest as your return to the upright
position. This can be done for a same side or alternate
lunge set for two sets of 8 to 12 repetitions on each
leg.
The Walking Lunge:
If you’re able to do a
basic alternating lunge and one with hand weights, you
may want to try a walking lunge. This is very good for
both strength and balance. Try a walking lunge by stepping
forward with each lunge, instead of returning to the
start position.
This helps improve balance during your lunge. Try this
lunge initially with six lunges forward, turn around
and then do six lunges to return to your starting position.
You can add hand weights or dumbbells to this walking
lunge. Initially try a walking lunge with weights at
your side. You can progress to performing a biceps curl
while doing a walking lunge. Start with safe successful
ranges, making sure you are pain free and in control,
without allowing any wobbling at the bottom of the lunge.
Once you can perform two sets of 8 to12 reps, pain free
and in good control, increase the depth then the length
of your walking lunge.
Which Lunge to Choose?
In general, it’s good to do the
basic alternating lunge with hand weights or the lunge
with a biceps curl for general conditioning. If you
have kneecap pain, start with the unloaded lunge. If
you are a skier, hiker, etc., consider the deep lunge
and/or the walking lunge. You can start with five lunges
to each knee and build up to 10 lunges in a set to each
knee, as long as it’s pain free and with good
form.
Doing any lunge can be valuable for the strength of
your thighs, legs, knees and hips.
Lunges may also improve your balance. Find the lunge
that’s most comfortable for you. Try to do them
three times per week and avoid doing them on consecutive
days. As you do lunges you will find your balance and
leg strength increases and the performance of your activities
may improve as well.
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