Various Lunges to Suit Any Fitness Level and Workout Need

Welcome to Modify This Move, a series that will provide you with all the information you need to modify a common exercise to suit your needs, your body, and your mood. Each tale explains a fundamental fitness action in detail before offering a variety of variations based on your current level of fitness or energy, any current or past ailments, or the muscles you wish to focus on the most. So leave your ego at the door and make sure every workout is appropriate for where you are right now.

Squats are sometimes regarded as the ideal exercise for your lower body since they can give you rock-solid quads and a strong-as-hell booty. However, they’re not the only leg exercise you should incorporate into your training regimen. Lunges can actually help you get all of those benefits and so much more.

Lunges specifically target the glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calf muscles, and because they require changing into and out of or maintaining a staggered stance, they also put your balance and stability to the test, according to Phyllicia Bonanno , an SWEAT yoga instructor. Although the lunge is primarily a lower-body workout, your upper body is also worked during the exercise. While the lower body is the primary emphasis, Bonanno notes that the upper body can still be partially engaged. “Keeping your shoulders back and engaging your core is still crucial for good posture.”

The basic movement pattern for a lunge is the forward lunge, which is stepping one leg forward and lowering into a lunge just using your bodyweight. However, you can experiment with other lunge variations and adjust your workout to suit your specific skills, objectives, and level of energy. You can choose a lunge variation that is easy on the body, lets you concentrate on your form while still increasing strength, whether you’re just starting your fitness adventure or you want to tone down your training session. People with knee trouble can also substitute a lunge version for the standard exercise, which will still work the same muscle areas without generating pain. Whatever the cause, it’s acceptable to adjust the relocation to suit your needs.

You also have options if you want to liven up your workout: While some lunge versions are more effective at working out a specific set of muscles, including the glutes, inner thighs, and core, others are intended to increase heart rate and enhance mobility. Simply put, there is probably a lunge variation that suits your demands and physique the best.

Are you prepared to try the basic lower-body exercise? After mastering the standard forward lunge, watch as Bonanno teaches how to liven things up with eight other lunge variations that are suitable for people of all fitness levels.

A FORWARD LUNGE Technique A. Place your hands on your hips and stand with your feet together.

B. Taking a big stride forward with your right foot, lower yourself until your right thigh is parallel to the floor and both knees are at a 90-degree angle while maintaining an engaged core, a tall chest, and stacked shoulders over your hips.

C. Step back with the right foot adjacent to the left to get back to the beginning position after pushing through the middle of the right foot to rise from the lunge.

8 LUGE DIFFERENCES You could be prepared to change things up once you’ve mastered the forward lunge. Don’t be afraid to try a lunge variant that will help you achieve your specific needs and goals, whether the standard exercise feels a little unsteady on your knees or you want to target particular muscle areas.

A lunge variation for knee pain, lunge variations that target the glutes, core, and inner thighs, and lunge variations to increase strength and mobility are all available here. Whatever you decide, keep listening to your body as you push through your reps. If something doesn’t feel right, try a different activity. And if you’re new to lunges, Bonanno advises practicing the exercise on a padded mat to protect your knees in case they land on the floor.

LEVEL UP LUNGE VARIATION: PLYOMETRIC JUMP LUNGE The plyometric jump lunge is a good exercise to attempt if you want to gain strength and get your heart rate up. In this lunge exercise inspired by aerobics, you’ll press through the ground to jump high and land lightly. This one tests your strength, stability, and balance, according to Bonanno. Try switching legs in the air so you land with the opposite foot in front to increase the coordination challenge, she advises.

A. Place your hands on your hips and stand with your feet together.

B. Taking a big stride forward with your right foot, lower yourself until your right thigh is parallel to the floor and both knees are at a 90-degree angle while maintaining an engaged core, a tall chest, and stacked shoulders over your hips. This is where everything begin.

C. Jump toward the ceiling by lowering yourself 1 to 2 inches to gain velocity. landing gently

CHAIR LUNGE, A SLIMMER VERSION OF THE LUNGE As you’ll maintain yourself stable by hanging onto a chair while completing the activity, this lunge variation is perfect for novices and those people who are working on strengthening their balance, according to Bonanno. She notes that sometimes it’s challenging to step forward into a lunge because you may not be as coordinated or balanced. “Having your hands on the chair just makes you feel a little more grounded,” she continued.

A. Stand with your feet together and your hands in front of your body on the back of a chair.

B. Taking a big stride backward with your right foot, lower yourself until your left thigh is parallel to the floor and both knees are at a 90-degree angle while maintaining an engaged core, a tall chest, and stacked shoulders over your hips.

C. To get out of the lunge, push through the left foot’s midfoot and heel. Then, step the right foot in front of the left to get back to the beginning position.

Reverse lunge is a lunge variation for knee pain. Your front knee is under a lot of pressure when you perform a standard forward lunge, which can make any aches and pains worse. Because of this, Bonanno advises doing the reverse lunge if you have any knee problems. There is less strain on the front knee because you are “focused more on the glutes and anchoring on the leg traveling backward, as opposed to going forward,” she explains.

TARGET GLUTES LUNGE VARIATION: CURTSY LUNGE Although all the same muscles as the forward lunge are targeted by this lunge variation, the glutes are given special attention, according to Bonanno. The curtsy lunge specifically engages your gluteus medius, a smaller glute muscle on the side of your butt that supports external hip rotation.

A. Stand with your feet together and your hands across your chest.

B. Keeping your hips square and your weight on your right foot, take a large stride back with your left leg, crossing it behind your right leg.

C. Slowly lower yourself until your right thigh is parallel to the floor and your knees are about 90 degrees apart.

D. Return to the beginning position by pushing through the right heel to rise from the lunge and bringing the left foot back up next to the right.

Variation of the lunge to the target inner thighs: LATERAL LUNGE In this lunge variation, Bonanno advises stepping out to the side rather than forward or backward to better target the hip adductors, often known as the inner thigh muscles. She continues, “The side-to-side action also opens up the hamstrings more.”

B. Immediately after taking a big step to the right, drop your hips and bend your right knee to lower into a lunge. Maintain a straight but not locked left leg with both feet pointed front.

C. Step with the right foot next to the left and push through the right foot to straighten the right leg. Then, step back to the beginning position.

DUMBBELL LUNGE: A VARIATION ON THE LUNGE TO BUILD STRENGTH Grab a pair of dumbbells to increase the difficulty of a forward lunge without undertaking a brand-new exercise, advises Bonanno. By intelligently increasing the load, also known as progressive overload training, you can show improvements in your strength while also making the exercise more difficult.

A. Holding a dumbbell in each hand, stand with your feet together and your arms at your sides.

B. Lower yourself until your left thigh is parallel to the floor and both knees are at a 90-degree angle while maintaining an engaged core, a tall chest, and stacked shoulders over your hips.

C. Step your left foot back next to your right foot to get out of the lunge and back to your starting position.

MEDICINE BALL LUNGE IS A VARIATION OF THE LUNGE TO TARGET THE CORE. According to Bonanno, this lunge variation stresses your obliques, which aren’t the only core muscle. With each exercise, you’ll twist your trunk to the right or left with a weighted medicine ball. To stay anchored in the lunge while twisting, she continues, “you’re also pushing your balance and your ‘core’ stability.”

A. Hold a medicine ball while standing with your feet together and your hands in front of your chest.
C. While still in the lunge, carefully rotate your trunk to the left until the medicine ball is directly above your left hip.

D. To get out of the lunge, slowly rotate your trunk back to the center and push into the middle of your left foot. Step quickly back to the starting position with the left foot next to the right.

AROUND THE WORLD LUNGE: A LUNGE VARIATION FOR HIP MOBILITY The forward lunge, lateral lunge, reverse lunge, and curtsy lunge are all combined into one in this lunge variation. Once you’ve mastered each one alone, combine all four of them, advises Bonanno, to achieve your hips’ complete range of motion, which improves hip mobility.

B. Taking a big step forward with your left foot, lower yourself until your left thigh is parallel to the floor and both knees are at a 90-degree angle while maintaining an engaged core, a tall chest, and stacked shoulders over your hips.

D. Immediately after taking a big step to the left, lower yourself into a lunge by bending your left knee and sinking your hips back. Maintain a straight but not locked right leg with both feet pointed front.

E. Straighten the left leg by pushing through the left foot, stepping the left foot next to the right, and then resuming your original position.

F. Taking a big stride backward with your left foot, lower yourself until your right thigh is parallel to the floor and both knees are at a 90-degree angle while maintaining an engaged core, a tall chest, and stacked shoulders over your hips.

G. To get out of the lunge, push through the right foot’s midfoot and heel. Then, step the left foot in front of the right to get back to the beginning position.

H. Keeping your hips square and your weight on your right foot, take a large stride back with your left leg, crossing it behind your right leg.

I. Slowly lower yourself until your right thigh is parallel to the floor and your knees are about 90 degrees apart.

J. Return to the beginning position by pushing through the right heel to rise from the lunge and bringing the left foot back up next to the right.

Artist and photographer Jenna Brillhart Phyllicia Bonanno, a fitness professional and model Makeup and hair: Tee Chavez Clothing: Aerie

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