How to perfect lunges for more leg strength. The lunge is THE exercise for strong legs and a tight butt. Find out how to do it and what variations there are here
There can only be one exercise that deserves the title of “most effective movement of leg day .” And that is the lunge, closely followed by the squat .
Lunges go one step further and train – in addition to the entire leg and glute muscles – the back of the thighs as well as balance and coordination skills. Here you will find out how lunges can help you enormously and what you absolutely have to pay attention to when performing them. We will also show you how you can continually increase your progress thanks to various variations.
STRENGTH EXERCISES PERFORMED CORRECTLY
Which muscles are trained during the lunge?
In the legs, almost everyone does. In contrast to the squat, the calf muscles, collectively known as the triceps surae, are also put to the test during the lunge. These include the gastrocnemius muscle and the soleus muscle, also known as the soleus muscle. In ascending order, the quadriceps femoris muscle is active on the front of the thigh during the lunge, and the biceps femoris muscle, i.e. the two-headed leg flexor, is active on the back of the thigh. The latter is also used more intensively than in the squat. On top of that, the entire gluteal muscles are intensively involved, with the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus muscles all having to give their all.
Why should I do lunges?
In addition to defining all-round leg muscles, the lunge improves your coordination and sense of balance. Ultimately, the movement is very demanding and at the same time intense because it focuses on one leg. And that’s without adding any additional weights.
You can easily do lunges on vacation or anywhere else without losing muscle mass. Tip for new dads: You can even do lunges while pushing a stroller. In short, a movement can hardly be more functional.
It helps you to walk much better, at any speed. You also shrug off any elevator breakdowns because climbing stairs is not at all strenuous. This is precisely the shifting of your weight onto one leg that you are used to thanks to your regular lunge training.
For whom are lunges unsuitable?
In principle, lunges are suitable for anyone who wants to reach the next level in leg muscle training. However, if you have problems with your ankle and/or knee joint, pay particular attention to correct technique (see below).
If you’ve had a very long break from working out because you were injured or ill, hold on to the door frame or another stationary object while you move. This way you can concentrate on the movement sequence and only challenge your sense of balance in a future session. The same applies if you’ve never trained before or have problems with your sense of balance. It goes without saying (hopefully) that as a newbie you’ll train without additional weight. You’ll only achieve top results with top technique. False ambition often leads to real pain.
The correct lung technique
The movement sequence looks simple in theory and is certainly not complicated in practice. However, you should pay attention to a few things when performing lunges in order to avoid incorrect strain and the resulting aches and pains. It is best to proceed step by step, as follows:
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Tighten your buttocks and abdominal muscles to maintain an upright posture. Place your hands behind your head to ensure stability in your torso. Make sure your shoulders stay down and your elbows point outwards.
- Now shift your weight onto your right foot and take a big step forward with your left foot. Put your left foot down completely and lift your right heel off the ground at the same time. Both feet point in the same direction – forward. Your upper body remains upright.
- Bend both legs and lower your right knee towards the floor. Stop the movement just before your knee touches the floor.
- Hold the position briefly. Push yourself back to the starting position using the strength of your left thigh and right toes.
- Beginners repeat the sequence with a different step position – right foot is in front and left foot is behind – advanced users first perform all the prescribed repetitions on one side before doing the ones on the other.
Remember: Your front knee never goes beyond your toes, but stays roughly at the level of your midfoot.
Proper breathing
If the strength training is concentric, meaning the muscle is shortening, you breathe in. If the muscle is stretched, meaning the eccentric phase of the load is reached, you breathe out. Translated into the execution of lunges, this means: when you kneel, you breathe in and when you stretch your legs, you breathe out emphatically.
Avoid the most common lunge mistakes
The worst mistake is definitely not to include the lunge in your training plan at all.
Once the exercise has found its place, make sure that:
- the knee and ankle of the front leg are in line, even if the back leg is bent. Otherwise, the knee joint could become painful.
- you do not place your back knee on the floor to maintain tension in the leg muscles. Without it, you will get less effect from the exercise. Continuous core tension is essential, especially when working with additional weights.
- your head always remains in line with your spine to create an axial and therefore back-friendly load.
What weight should I aim for?
There is definitely room for improvement when it comes to choosing the right weight for advanced users. However, to train functionally, it is enough to have your own body weight resting on your shoulders using a barbell or to hold it in your hands in the form of dumbbells. This means that you can create new training stimuli by using more weight, among other things (but not only).
6 lunge variations for new stimuli and less boredom
There are some variations that will challenge your strength and coordination skills enormously. In short: make sure you keep things varied, then your motivation will never drop.
1. Lunges with dumbbells or barbells for a more intense effect on the thigh muscles
When performing lunges, either hold a dumbbell in each hand with long arms or place a loaded barbell on the upper part of your contracted shoulder blades. In both variations, make sure that the spine is subjected to axial loading. To do this, keep your upper body straight and your head forms an extension of your spine.
2. Lunges on unstable ground
Put your front foot on a folded towel, a balance pad or even a wobbly balance board . The instability this creates has to be properly compensated for by your foot and lower leg muscles, which benefits your deep sensitivity. Your what? In colloquial terms, this is called the sixth sense. It gives you a feeling of how your muscles, tendons, ligaments and joints are positioned in space. Your brain constantly receives information about whether you are sitting, standing or tripping over a bump in the road, so that you can react accordingly without having to think for long.
3. Lunges with raised foot position
Instead of the folded towel, you can position your entire (!) front foot on a real elevation such as a step, a stepper or 2 weight plates placed on top of each other . This will intensively stretch your front thigh and glute muscles and also improve your hip flexibility.
This variation can be performed with or without additional weight. The same applies to the option of placing the back instep on an elevated surface such as a weight bench . If you perform the lunge in this way, you will intensify the strain on your glutes and thigh muscles, as the distance to just above the ground is longer. In this variation, make sure that your front knee does not extend beyond your toes. To do this, your stride must be sufficiently wide.
4. Lunges with jumps
If you do the lunges while jumping, your heart muscle will also work at full speed. The result: your endurance will improve. For more cardio, push yourself off the ground with both feet in the lower position and jump vertically into the air. In the upper position, switch your leg position. Make sure to land gently and with your legs bent. Go straight back into the kneeling position and start the next jump.
5. Reverse Lunges
From the starting position, place one foot back and perform the lunge in reverse, as a reverse lunge. This will surprise your coordination skills enormously, as they were previously used to the variant with a step forward.
6. Lunges with rotation
In the lower kneeling position, turn your entire upper body, including your head, towards the front of your thigh as far as possible. This activates your entire core muscles. Make sure to turn back first before stretching your legs.
The right equipment for lunges
Ready for the next level? It’s easy: hold a dumbbell in each hand while performing the exercise. Tip: Some modular models allow you to change the weight with just one movement. This means you don’t need a variety of dumbbells to constantly provide new training stimuli.
The exercise will also be more intense if you place a fitness sandbag on your shoulders.
Do you need more weight? Then train with a barbell. Ideally with a standard Olympic barbell. Can you do more? Then you need suitable weight plates plus barbell clamps . To start with, a set of 5 and 10 kg plates is enough. Don’t worry, that’s not too little, the bar already puts 20 kg on your shoulders. Please don’t skimp on the right barbell collars, they fix the plates in place and protect your feet from great pain.
Conclusion: Lunges lead step by step to brute leg strength
Lunges are the most effective exercise for leg day. They train all of the leg and buttock muscles, strengthen the back of the thighs and improve your balance and coordination. With correct technique and variations such as weights or unstable surfaces, you can steadily increase your progress. However, if you suffer from knee or ankle problems, you should be particularly careful.
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