The lunge is probably one of the most versatile exercises in our strength training toolbox. Gives you the most bang for your buck. It is also the exercise that is most frequently performed incorrectly. Lunges can be a problem for knee health, especially when you don’t have the glute, hip, and posterior chain strength to perform this move correctly.

Some of the benefits of performing lunges are:

  • strengthen glutes, quadriceps and hamstrings
  • improve posture
  • develops core strength and stability
  • improves balance and coordination

The lunge is one of our primary patterns. This is a movement that is stored in our brain from early development. Unfortunately, although we are born connected to this pattern of movement, over time we lose the ability to perform it correctly.

How to perform a lunge correctly:

Start with an upright posture. Think about making yourself as tall as possible. This will engage your core muscles. Holding tight, take a long step out, landing on your heel. Lower under control until the back knee almost touches the ground. Once again, staying firm and tall, walk your heel back to the starting position. A good lunge when performed correctly should look smooth and effortless. You shouldn’t see any jerky movements in your upper body when you return to the starting position.

A longer lunge lunge will work your glutes, hamstrings, and posterior chain more. A short step lunge will emphasize the quads. Personally, I prefer the long-stride lunge, as it’s also safer on the knee.

Some common flaws seen in a lunge:

Forward Leaning – This can be caused by tight hip flexors or quadriceps. Or it can be as simple as being lazy and not working to keep your upper body posture strong at all times. If you are in a hurry to complete the exercise, you may not be concentrating on staying upright and this allows your body to lean. Take your time and reset your posture before each repetition.

The knees cave in – If a person has weak glutes, they cannot adequately stabilize or decelerate hip movement. This leads to bending of the knees. That’s where glute activation exercises (bridges, tube walking) come into play. You see there’s a reason for walking around with those damn tubes around your feet!

The foot sinks in – This is often seen in conjunction with the knees moving in. Usually a muscle imbalance in the lower leg will cause this (tight calf muscles) and weak tibialis anterior muscles. These are the reasons why we do calf stretches, ankle mobility work (specifically the toes up) before and after workouts.

improper landing – landing on your toes or pushing off your toes is usually due to weak muscles around the hip. If you lack the gluteal and posterior chain strength to return to the starting position, then you will be pushing off your toes using more of your quadriceps muscles. Focus on pushing off your heel, not your toes.

Lunge Variations and Progressions:

The lunge is an exercise that can start out very basic and progress to very complex and difficult. Typical lunge progressions are:

  • static lunge (or split squat)
  • reverse lunge
  • forward lunge
  • walking lunge
  • spinning lunges.

The progression per charge for this exercise is:

  • bodyweight lunges
  • lunges holding dumbbells
  • barbell back lunges
  • overhead lunges.

There is also a multitude of variety with the lunge. Once the normal progression has occurred, lunges can be performed in a number of different ways:

  • forward lunge
  • side lunge
  • walking lunge with twist
  • walking overhead lunges
  • spinning lunges

Hopefully this will help you understand the dynamics behind the lunge and help you focus on doing it as correctly as possible the next time you’re in the gym.