Major Muscles Worked:

Legs, Glutes

Set Up:

  1. Stand tall with your feet closer than hip width apart.
  2. Feet should be parallel to each other.

The Movement:

  1. Take a large step back.
  2. Balance briefly between the front foot, and the ball of your back foot.
    Try to keep most of the weight on your front leg.
  3. Bend both knees, and lower .
  4. Press through the heel of the front foot, to return to standing.

Make it Easier:

  • Place a chair to your side of the leg that isn’t moving. Stabilize your self by holding on to the chair with one hand.
  • Review Kneel to Stand

Make it Harder:

  • Add weight – but ensure that your core stability doesn’t get compromised.

Specific Cues:

  • Look at yourself in the mirror for this move.
  • Your hips should be the same distance between your front and back feet.
  • Your front knee should not break the plane of your front toe.
  • Chest up, shoulders back. Look ahead – not at the ground.
  • Your head & chest should be just over your hips at the bottom of the movement. Not your front knee.
  • Try not to push off with your back foot, but rather lift with your front heel.
  • Do not let the back knee touch the ground, but rather, you want it to be just 1-3 inches off the ground.
  • At the bottom of the movement, both knees should be bent at a 90 degree angle.
  • The back heel should not touch the ground, unless it is in the beginning position.

Forward Lunges

Major Muscles Worked:

Legs,

Set Up:

  1. Stand tall with your feet closer than hip width apart.
  2. Feet should be parallel to each other.

The Movement:

  1. Take a large step forward, landing on the heel of the front leg.
  2. Balance briefly between the front foot, and the ball of your back foot.
    Try to keep most of the weight equally distributed between both legs.
  3. Bend both knees, and lower .
  4. Press through the heel of the front foot, to return to standing.

Make it Easier:

  • Place a chair to your side of the leg that isn’t moving. Stabilize your self by holding on to the chair with one hand.

Make it Harder:

  • Add weight – but ensure that your core stability doesn’t get compromised.

Specific Cues:

  • Look at yourself in the mirror for this move.
  • Your hips should be the same distance between your front and back feet.
  • Your front knee should not break the plane of your front toe.
  • Chest up, shoulders back. Look ahead – not at the ground.
  • Your head & chest should be just over your hips at the bottom of the movement. Not your front knee.
  • Try not to push off with your back foot, but rather lift with your front heel.
  • Do not let the back knee touch the ground, but rather, you want it to be just 1-3 inches off the ground.
  • At the bottom of the movement, both knees should be bent at a 90 degree angle.
  • The back heel should not touch the ground, unless it is in the beginning position.
  • Caution: this variation can be difficult on the knees. If you develop knee pain (or already suffer knee injuries) it’s better to do backwards lunges.

Other Lunge Variations

Side Hop Lunge

Pulsing Lunges

Curtsy Lunges

Lunge Complex

Side Lunges

Side Lunges w/Bicep Curl

Side Slider Lunges

Slider Lunges