The lunge is a training movement that is simple to operate and highly efficient.
From lifting the legs, stepping out, lowering the soles of the feet, and back Leg squats, these seemingly simple and natural processes, actually activate almost all leg muscles.
In addition, you need to maintain a centered, stable and neutral spine to avoid excessive body sway or forward and backward tilt. Therefore, in addition to stimulating the biceps, quadriceps, gluteus maximus, calves and other muscle groups, it is also great for exercising core strength and assisting with trunk stability and movement balance.
Not only in sports, good lunges make our lives easier
Everything like walking, climbing stairs, crossing obstacles, etc. requires a lot of activity on one foot. The movement patterns are similar to lunges. Therefore, it is very necessary to add lunges to your training menu!
Next we will introduce to you some common lunge variations!
Variation 1: Forward lunge!
The most classic lunge squat,
hold the dumbbells in your hands and place them on both sides of the body (or carry the barbell on your shoulders). The dumbbells are easy to Keep your upper hand stable.
Instructions:
In the prepared position, keep your upper body stable, your spine tall, and your shoulders drawn back.
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Take a step forward, keep your upper body stable, and slowly bend your hips, knees, and ankles to squat without leaning forward too much.
Squat until both knees reach 90 degrees. The back foot is directly under the hip joint, a little off the ground, pause for a moment, then exert force on the buttocks and legs at the same time, squat up, and return to the starting position
Change 2: Back Arch Step
Back lunges are easier to learn than forward lunges and can Loading more weight also allows your hips to work better and is kinder to your knees
Step back and keep your center on your front foot, so you don't have to step forward as much. The front foot of the step also needs so much "deceleration". You can get a significant push from the back foot to help you return to the original position, whether it is hand-held dumbbells, front weights, rear weights, etc. After mastering this movement, the amount of weight a beginner can load can increase very quickly.
Due to the change in torso angle, the back step produces more activation in the gluteal muscles and in the front of the knees. Produces less shear force
Variation Three: Side Lunge
When performing lunges, the front-to-back motion plane (sagittal plane) is used, but in our lives, the motion is a three-dimensional picture, except for We also have left and right (coronal plane) before and after!
Side squats can help us improve our body's lateral movement ability and strengthen the lower limb muscles (gluteal muscles, front and rear thighs, calves)
Action process:
The distance between your feet is about 2 times shoulder width, and the soles of your feet are facing forward.
Take the right side as an example: Sit with your hips diagonally to the right. Go down, in order to avoid too much involvement of the knee joint, it is recommended that you sit back (pull your hips as far back as possible), and then bend your knees to squat!
Variation 4: Bulgarian lunge
This is another classic lunge variation, originating from Bulgarian strength athletes! It has been developed into a classic lower limb training action! This action is very common in professional sports training abroad.
The difference between it and the ordinary lunge
It is not like the ordinary split squat. Put nearly 50% of the load on the back foot. In the Bulgarian one-leg squat, the back foot is only responsible for balance, and the front foot carries most of the weight.
Action process:
You can use dumbbells, kettlebells, or barbells. The height of the fulcrum of the back foot should not be too high.
Put a towel or mat in front of the bench, stand in front of the mat, and move your front feet toward the bench. Step forward and fix the back foot on the bench or box
Squat down in a controlled manner until the knee of the back supporting leg touches the towel or mat. Always stabilize the core muscles and keep the body straight.
< p>When you squat, you should feel the hip flexors of your back feet being stretched; when you go up, your belly Qi will drive you up through your front feet.Variation 5: Lunge. Let’s go!
Lunging is performed on the basis of lunging and squatting, and is no longer limited to performing movements in place. . You can think of it as a more difficult version of a farmer’s walk!
Action process
Stand upright with your feet together. Hold a dumbbell with both hands on both sides of your body. Your arms hang naturally with your palms facing each other. Keep your eyes straight ahead the entire time.
Keeping your torso upright, take a step forward with your heels touching the ground first. Then, squat down until your knees form a 90-degree angle. The knee joint is pushed forward too much. Extend your other leg behind you, bending your knee, but don't let your knee touch the ground.
Then squat up rhythmically (like taking a step forward), and then squat forward with your legs alternately.