The lunge is an excellent lower body exercise that will strengthen your…
- butt (glutes)
- quads
This exercise is great for men and women looking to strengthen their upper legs and butt. Women especially love this exercise as it helps to get the toned look on your butt and thighs.
The exercise can be performed with a barbell, dumbbells, kettlebells or even with no added weight. In this instructional we focus solely on the barbell lunge.
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About the Lunge
How to properly perform the lunge
To perform the lunge, start with a barbell on your shoulders with your feet about hip width apart. Your shoulders should be back, your chest should be out and your eyes should be looking directly ahead of you.
- Take a large step with your left leg to start, and make sure your left shin is almost perpendicular to the ground.
- The trail leg (right leg) should stretch out and your knee should barely touch the ground.
- Return to the standing position by driving through the heel of your lead foot (left foot) and pushing yourself back to a standing position with your feet hip width.
Common Lunge Mistakes
- Bending over at the waist - Your upperbody should stay straight throughout the whole movement. The most common mistake with this is bending over at the waist and rounding the back. Keep your back straight and your eyes forward. This is prevented by sticking the chest out and throwing the shoulders back.
- Taking a short step - A short step places a lot of added pressure on the knee, and does not fully work your butt like a full step lunge does.
- Full range of motion - Make sure you are stepping all the way forward and that your trailing knee is touching the ground or almost touching the ground.
- Glutes (butt)
- Quads
Where do I start if I'm a beginner? (weights, reps, sets)
As a beginner your main goal when doing a lunge will be to get the motion down. To start you should perform lunges with no weights at all (no barbell either). To do this put your hands on your hips and perform the lunge as described above. Try to do the following...
- 3 sets
- 12 reps
Sou personal trainer, moro no Brasil e
Gostaria de informações sobre cursos Treinamento funcional, Kettlebel, treinamentos em suspensão. Grato!!!
Prof. Jordan Carlo
CREF-002703-G/ES
Vic: I’ve never done lunges in my life and I have been training for a long time. I HAVE specialized on one-legged squats for a time, actually doing them in addition to my regular barbell squat. The only thing I do not particularly like about the one-legged- squat is the tendency towards spinal “rotation.” Will the barbell or db lunges be safer in your experience?
i usually do my lunges stationary. (is that the word? i’m norwegian..)i do about 10 reps on one leg then switch to the other. i can’t seem to get my knee as close to the floor as you’re doing in the video. is that because of tight hipflexors or to much weight?? is it better to the lunges alternating with lower wight in instead??