By Matt Goss
Lunges are a lower body exercise regime staple. You strengthen every muscle in your legs and tighten your bum at the same time. However don't make the mistake of having correct form as they will do you more harm than good.
It is important to do lunges correctly so as not to put unnecessary strain on you ankle, knee and hip joints. With correct from you will look after your joints and strengthen your stability muscles in the lower body.
Speaking form experience these work and they work well. I have dodgy knees from skateboarding when I was younger and half partial dislocation problems to the extent where I have partially dislocated my right patella (knee cap) over a dozen times over a ten year period.
It wasn't until I researched and finally understood the true dynamics as to why it was happening (apart from my genetics) and the best methods of strengthening and protecting my knees. Lunges in their purest form are fantastic for this. Even more once you have mastered the correct technique there are many great variations to take things to a whole new level.
There is also a by product to this exercise and that is abdominal development also as your core is engaged into the movement to maintain proper alignment of your upper body to stop you from falling over.
Technique Breakdown - Lunges - Quadriceps
Start/Finish Position
Stand tall.
Movement Phase
Step forward with your right leg and squat down through your hips, while keeping your torso upright and maintaining balance.
Hold for a moment.
Using mainly the heel of your foot, push up and go back to the starting position.
Hold for a moment and repeat for desired repetitions before switching to your left leg and repeating the sequence over.
Breathing Directions
Breathe in during the downward motion.
Breathe out during the upward motion.
Tips
Keep your stride forward short and not long, this will allow for a deeper lunging motion and stop the effect of rocking to cheat back up.
Do not allow your knee to go forward any further than your toes as you come down, because this will put undue stress on your knee joint.
This is a movement that requires a great deal of balance so if you suffer from balance or knee problems you may wish to either avoid it altogether or hold on to a fixed object.
If you have suffered knee injuries or feeling discomfort during when performing lunges, I advise you to still complete the exercise using smaller steps. As your strength rises and you have no discomfort, you can in lengthen the distance of your lunges again.
As your strength increases there are many variations that you can try from jumping lunges, walking lunges, reverse lunges and that's with just body weight alone. Adding dumbbells to the equation gives you yet even more.
Matt Goss is a Certified Personal Trainer with Bangin' Bodz Health & Fitness and is also a member of The International Association For Health Coaches. Checkout http://www.banginbodz.com & http://www.facebook.com/bangin.bodz
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