How to Do the Lunges Exercise

The squat is a simple and effective exercise that helps train the quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves, and core. These exercises are also relatively safe because they are just basic movements that are easy to do, and do not require the use of special equipment. Leg squats are also effective in improving balance, increasing hip flexibility, increasing coordination, developing muscle size and strength, improving spine health, and increasing muscle strength. the ability to maintain the balance of the central muscle, toning many muscle groups to balance fitness and muscle growth.

Table of Contents

Do the forward leg lunge exercise

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/a/a0/Do-Lunges-Step-1-Version-8.jpg/v4-728px-Do-Lunges-Step-1- Version-8.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/a/a0/Do-Lunges-Step-1-Version-8.jpg/v4-728px-Do- Lunges-Step-1-Version-8.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:306,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:485,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser -output”></div>”}

Start in an upright position. You need to stand upright on a flat surface with your feet hip-width apart. Release the shoulders so that the shoulder blades are lowered. Maintain this position by squeezing your abs to keep your spine straight and steady. ^{[1] X Research Sources}^{[2] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}

While performing the lunge, your arms and hands can be positioned so that your body is balanced. Some people like to place their hands on their hips, while others place their hands on either side of their body or in front of them.
Keep your back straight while performing the lunge exercise. That means you should hold your head up with your eyes straight ahead; however, you can still look down to ensure correct posture.
Some people find it helpful to look at a certain point on the wall (or other object) directly in front of them for balance.

Take a big step forward with your right foot. Place your right foot on the floor with your heel touching the ground first. Lean forward so that about 70% of your body weight is on your front leg. Keep your back and upper body straight. You need to stay in this position. ^{[3] X Research Sources}^{[4] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}

Lower your body until your right knee forms a 90-degree angle. While keeping your upper body and back straight, lean forward until your right thigh is parallel to the floor. You need to slightly bend your hips to maintain this position and keep your back straight. ^{[5] X Research Sources}^{[6] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}

Do not move the right knee past the toe. The position of the right knee should be just above the right ankle.
When in the lunge position, the left knee (at the back) should form a 90-degree angle, so that the shin is parallel and the thigh is perpendicular to the floor.
With the current slack position, only the left toe should be on the floor. The left heel is no longer on the floor as you lean forward.

Francisco Gomez

Physic Education coach

Francisco Gomez is the head coach at FIT Potato Gym, a gym founded in 2001 in the San Francisco Bay Area. Francisco is a former runner, he has helped train endurance athletes at major marathons such as the Boston Marathon. Francisco specializes in injury recovery, endurance training, marathon training and fitness for the elderly. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition, Physiological Practice & Running.

Do a reverse lunge

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/6/61/Do-Lunges-Step-6-Version-5.jpg/v4-728px-Do-Lunges-Step-6- Version-5.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/6/61/Do-Lunges-Step-6-Version-5.jpg/v4-728px-Do- Lunges-Step-6-Version-5.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:306,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:485,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser -output”></div>”}

Start in an upright position. First, stand straight on the floor with your feet hip-width apart. Lift your chest to keep your back straight thanks to the support of the right musculature. Use extra abdominal muscles to keep your back steady. ^{[11] X Research Source}^{[12] X Research Source}

While doing the leg lunge, you can place your hands in any position so that your body balances. Some people like to put their hands on their hips, while others like to keep their hands on the sides of their bodies.

Take a big step back with your left foot. Lower your body until your left foot touches the floor, with your toes touching the ground first. ^{[13] X Research Source}^{[14] X Research Source}

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/d/dd/Do-Lunges-Step-8-Version-5.jpg/v4-728px-Do-Lunges-Step-8- Version-5.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/d/dd/Do-Lunges-Step-8-Version-5.jpg/v4-728px-Do- Lunges-Step-8-Version-5.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:306,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:485,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser -output”></div>”}

Keep your legs bent at a 90-degree angle. After your left foot touches the floor, lean back until your right foot and left leg bend at a 90-degree angle. The right shin is perpendicular and the right thigh is parallel to the floor. The left shin is parallel and the left thigh is perpendicular to the floor. ^{[15] X Research Source}^{[16] X Research Source}

The left foot only touches the floor with the toe.

Return to the original position. Lift your body up with your left leg until you return to the starting position. Feet flat on the floor and hip-width apart. ^{[17] X Research Source}^{[18] X Research Source}

Repeat the reverse leg stretch. You can repeat the reverse lunge by continuing to do the left side (left foot back) or switch to the right side (right leg back). It doesn’t matter in what order you do the exercises, but you should try to do an equal number of lunges on both sides before completing the exercise. ^{[19] X Research Source}^{[20] X Research Source}

Do the side lunge exercise

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/0/05/Do-Lunges-Step-11-Version-5.jpg/v4-728px-Do-Lunges-Step-11- Version-5.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/0/05/Do-Lunges-Step-11-Version-5.jpg/v4-728px-Do- Lunges-Step-11-Version-5.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:306,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:485,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser -output”></div>”}

Erect. To begin the side lunge exercise, you need to stand up straight with your feet hip-width apart. Raise your head with your chin slightly up. Place most of your weight on your heels and squeeze your abs to keep your back steady. Open your shoulders and puff out your chest. ^{[21] X Research Sources}^{[22] X Research Sources}

When performing the leg lunge, you can place your arms and hands in any position so that your body balances. Some people like to put their hands on their hips, while others like to put their hands on the sides of their bodies.

Step to the right. Place your left foot on the floor and keep your back straight. Shift body weight to right foot. ^{[23] X Research Source}^{[24] X Research Source}

The width between your feet will depend on your height, but you should place your right foot at least 60cm away from your left foot.
Adjust your posture as you change the distance between your feet so that you can stretch your leg muscles without feeling uncomfortable.

Bend right knee. With your right foot on the floor, bend your right knee to lower your body. Keep the shin perpendicular to the floor and the right knee just above the ankle. Straighten your left leg as far as you can and keep your left foot on the floor. Now most of the body weight will shift to the right leg. ^{[25] X Research Sources}^{[26] X Research Sources}

Lift your body up with your right foot. Lift your body up with your right foot and return to the starting position with your feet hip-width apart. ^{[27] X Research Sources}^{[28] X Research Sources}

Repeat the same steps for the left side. Complete the left lunge following the steps above, just moving in the opposite direction. ^{[29] X Research Source}^{[30] X Research Source}

Or, you can continue doing the lunge to the right and then to the left.
Make sure you do an equal number of lunges on both sides of your body before completing the exercise.

Add twists when slacking and moving forward

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/8/86/Do-Lunges-Step-16-Version-5.jpg/v4-728px-Do-Lunges-Step-16- Version-5.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/8/86/Do-Lunges-Step-16-Version-5.jpg/v4-728px-Do- Lunges-Step-16-Version-5.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:306,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:485,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser -output”></div>”}

Start in an upright position. You will stand upright on the floor with your feet hip-width apart. Keep your back, upper body, and head straight. Use extra abdominal muscles to stabilize your back. ^{[31] X Research Source}^{[32] X Research Source}

To increase fitness for this type of lunge, you can hold the dumbbell in front of you with your hands. Dumbbell balls are heavier than regular balls and there are many weights to choose from. Choose the weight that’s right for you.
If you don’t want to increase the weight yet, just use a regular ball. It’s still useful to hold something in your hand when you’re doing the twist.

Lift right leg up. First you need to raise your right leg by bending your knee. Pause in this position until you feel balanced. Keep your back and upper body straight by using your abs. ^{[33] X Research Source}^{[34] X Research Source}

Place your right foot on the floor with your heel touching the ground first. Bring your right foot forward and place your right foot on the floor with your heel touching the ground first. Lean your upper body forward so that your right knee is bent. Legs should be perpendicular and thighs parallel to the floor. Avoid leaning forward too much lest the knee go over the toes of the right foot. You just need to slightly push your hips forward, and still keep your back straight. ^{[35] X Research Source}^{[36] X Research Source}

Rotate upper body to the right. When you’re in a forward lunge with your right foot in front and right foot on the floor, rotate your upper body to the right. Hold the dumbbell in front of you with both hands as you rotate. After turning to the right, you will rotate back to the original position. ^{[37] X Research Sources}^{[38] X Research Sources}

Bring your left foot forward. Since this is a walking slack, the next step is not to return to the starting position, but to continue moving forward. Extend your left leg in front of you, balance on your right leg, and step your left foot forward in preparation for the next lunge. ^{[39] X Research Sources}^{[40] X Research Sources}

Place left foot on the floor. Lean forward while you place your left foot on the floor with your heel touching the ground first. Continue shifting your weight until your left thigh is parallel and your shin is perpendicular to the floor. Avoid leaning forward too much lest your left knee go over your toes. Just push your hips forward slightly, but keep your upper body and back straight. ^{[41] X Research Sources}^{[42] X Research Sources}

Turn to the left. Perform the same swing as above with both hands holding the dumbbell in front of you, and complete the swing to the left. ^{[43] X Research Sources}^{[44] X Research Sources}

Continue to move as you lunge forward. Repeat the move with your right and left leg as you continue to lunge forward and rotate, and so on, continue to lunge forward. You will repeat the movement until there is no space left to move. Then you just need to turn around and continue walking in the opposite direction. ^{[45] X Research Sources}^{[46] X Research Sources}

Go beyond yourself with the 30-day slacking challenge

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/0/06/Do-Lunges-Step-24-Version-4.jpg/v4-728px-Do-Lunges-Step-24- Version-4.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/0/06/Do-Lunges-Step-24-Version-4.jpg/v4-728px-Do- Lunges-Step-24-Version-4.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:306,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:485,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser -output”></div>”}

Take 30 days to complete the challenge. Doing the 30-day lunge challenge is an effective way to help you practice lunges and get regular strength training. Having a specific goal when working out will keep you motivated. However, before you start, you need to plan the most appropriate 30 days. Dedicating a whole month to a challenge is probably the most convenient and simple way. ^{[47] X Research Sources}

Do at least 100 squats per week. You’re better off doing a few lunges a day, but don’t do 100 a day from day one. Start with completing 20 – 30 squats per day until you build up your stamina; however, you need to try to complete at least 100 lunges per week. ^{[48]X Research Source}

Increase to 100 squats per day. As your stamina and energy increases, try to do 100 lunges a day. The total number of leg slacks can be broken down as follows: ^{[49] X Research Source}

30 forward lunges, with each leg 15 times
40 side lunges, 20 reps on each side
30 reverse lunges, with each leg 15 times

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/5/5a/Do-Lunges-Step-27.jpg/v4-728px-Do-Lunges-Step-27.jpg”,” bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/5/5a/Do-Lunges-Step-27.jpg/v4-728px-Do-Lunges-Step-27.jpg”,”smallWidth” :460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Achievement tracking. You should make a note of the number of lunges for each day and the type of lunge you can do. Even if you can’t complete 100 lunges a day, by tracking your progress, you’ll know your progress in 30 days. ^{[50] X Research Source}

Regardless of the outcome, you should still give yourself a small reward after completing the challenge. Keep that reward in mind for 30 days to stay motivated. (If you want to lose weight, don’t reward yourself with food. Movie tickets, a new book or an afternoon walk in the park will be better rewards.)

Advice

To easily visualize how to perform the sit-in and the moving lunge, you can watch the video on the Mayo Clinic site — http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/multimedia/lunge/ vid-20084662.
To increase resistance, you can lift dumbbells or dumbbells with both hands while performing a forward lunge. The weight of the dumbbells should be suitable for your fitness, do not use too heavy weights. If you don’t have “real” dumbbells or dumbbells, you can use household items such as cans or plastic bottles for water (or other liquids), etc. ^{[51] X Research Source}

Steps