Learning Lunges: Correct Execution And Six Effective Variants

Know, What Are Lunges?

Lunges are a popular exercise in weight training. In addition to the front and rear leg muscles, the buttocks are also adequately trained. Fitness trainer LeaLight shows different exercise variations and what is essential when making lunges.

Lunges, also known as lunges, should be integral to every leg day. They are perfect for building muscle in both bodyweight and weight training.

Above all, they demand the leg extensors, hamstrings, and gluteus maximus. A nice side effect: Because this reasonably simple exercise uses a lot of large muscles, you also burn many calories.

With the exercise, you can reach large muscle groups very effectively and without much effort. You can vary both the execution and the degree of difficulty, for example, by working with additional weights or changing the load and break times.

Together with fitness trainer LeaLight, we will show you how to do it correctly and what you should know about the lunges.

Which Muscles Are Trained?

Before we get to the practical details, let’s clarify the theory: Which muscle groups will train in the lunge?

• The lungs primarily activate the following muscles:
• Leg extension (musculus quadriceps femoris)
• Hamstrings (musculus biceps femoris)
• gluteus maximus muscle
• Secondary claims are also:
• outer hip muscles (tensor fasciae late)
• core stability
• Calves (musculus triceps surae)

The muscle groups will stress to different extents depending on the step length. For example, with a rather large lunge, the gluteal muscles, in particular, are activated.

A smaller lunge puts more strain on your thighs.

Instructions for lunges

The starting position is standing upright with your feet about shoulder-width apart. The arms can either be supported on the side, taken forward simultaneously, or you can swing them alternately.

Build up essential tension and take a sufficiently large or slightly smaller step forward, depending on which muscle groups you want to use.

As you lower your knees to just above the floor, keep your hips straight and your torso upright. Beginners, in particular, should always try to keep the knee of the front leg behind the tips of their toes to avoid putting unnecessary strain on the front knee.

Hold down briefly before returning to the starting position. It would help if you pushed yourself up primarily using the heel, not the toes of the front foot. Tip: To keep the tension correct, it can help lift your toes slightly, so you won’t tempt to push yourself up over your toes.

Important: When lowering the hips, exhale. Breathe in when you stand up. You can switch legs each time or do all the reps on one side first—then it burns a little more

The Best Lunge Variations

Now you know how the standard lunge works. Now it is important not to let boredom arise during training and to incorporate the different lunge variations into your leg workout.

For beginners, your body weight is sufficient. However, advanced users are welcome to complicate each variant with the additional weight, such as dumbbells, kettlebells, sandbags or barbells.

A displacement of the back leg in some variations is even more intense. For example, the front leg works even more complex if the rear portion will place on a chair, bench, or step during an outdoor workout. This version is also known as the Bulgarian split squat.