Before beginning any exercise, ensure you are dressed in comfortable clothing and have supportive footwear. It’s best to exercise in a spacious and uncluttered area. If you have knee or ankle concerns, consider using a gym mat or performing exercises on a grassy surface.
How to do a lunge exercise:
- Start by standing tall with your feet hip-width apart.
- Take a step forward with one leg, lowering your body until both knees are bent at 90-degree angles.
- Make sure your front knee is directly above your ankle, and your back knee is hovering slightly above the ground.
- Keep your upper body upright, with your core engaged and chest lifted.
- Push through your front heel to return to the starting position.
- Repeat the lunge on the other leg.
- Continue alternating legs for the desired number of repetitions (8-10) and sets (2-4).
Tips:
- Avoid letting your front knee extend past your toes to protect your knee joint.
- For an extra challenge, you can hold dumbbells or kettlebells in each hand while performing lunges.
- Keep your movements controlled and steady throughout the exercise.
Lunges are a great lower body exercise that target several muscles, including:
- Quadriceps: The front thigh muscles are heavily engaged during the lunging motion.
- Hamstrings: The back of the thighs work to stabilize and control the movement during lunges.
- Glutes: The gluteal muscles (gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus) are activated to drive the upward movement from the lunge position.
- Calves: The calf muscles assist in stabilizing the lower leg during lunges.
- Hip Flexors: The hip flexor muscles play a significant role in lifting the leg and stabilizing the hips during lunges.
- Adductors and Abductors: These muscles on the inner and outer thighs, respectively, help stabilize the legs during lunges.
- Core: The core muscles, including the rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, and obliques, are engaged to maintain balance and stability during the exercise.
- Lower back (erector spinae): The muscles in the lower back work to keep the spine upright during lunges.
Lunges are a versatile exercise that can be performed in various directions (forward, backward, lateral) to target different muscle groups and improve lower body strength, stability, and flexibility.