Can we talk about lunges?

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  • pondee629
    pondee629 Posts: 2,469 Member
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    OP, are you doing those lunges weighted? If so, try them at body weight until you get more comfortable with them. If you're doing them body weight now ;-)
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    I personally am not a fan of lunges for myself or my clients. I think it's to easy to hurt yourself if trying to do them in a group format (i.e. quickly, not paying attention to form, not having someone right there looking at you the entire time, etc.), ESPECIALLY if done on an improper surface (like a hardwood floor, concrete, etc.).

    The number of times i've accidentally tapped my knee down and gotten a patellar contusion has convinced me that the average deconditioned person should probably avoid them.
  • kota4bye
    kota4bye Posts: 809 Member
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    Is your forward shin perpendicular to the ground at the bottom of the lunge? Are you driving out of the lunge with both legs, not just the forward leg? Like other have said, keep your core tight, and torso upright.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,210 Member
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    hannahsadler_tn wrote: »
    I might be an outlier, but I absolutely hate lunges and don't do them. Ever. For legs/core I do deadlifts, goblet squats, back squats, and hip thrusts. I don't feel like I'm missing out.

    I don't know what your goal is, but for general conditioning, i think it's good to do SOME form of asymmetrical stance leg exercise, where the left leg moves differently than the right (step-ups, split squats, 1-leg RDL, etc). These are less stable than symmetrical stance exercises, which trains the hip & torso muscles to stabilize laterally. Many injuries in daily life & sports happen due to faulty lateral stabilization. This is a coordination deficit, not a lack of brute strength. The weight doesn't need to be super heavy with asymmetrical stance exercises - it's more about mastering the balance challenge with a load. Using too much weight will surely make you hate them.
    I hope all that made sense. :+1:
  • hannahsadler_tn
    hannahsadler_tn Posts: 77 Member
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    Cherimoose wrote: »

    I don't know what your goal is, but for general conditioning, i think it's good to do SOME form of asymmetrical stance leg exercise, where the left leg moves differently than the right (step-ups, split squats, 1-leg RDL, etc). These are less stable than symmetrical stance exercises, which trains the hip & torso muscles to stabilize laterally. Many injuries in daily life & sports happen due to faulty lateral stabilization. This is a coordination deficit, not a lack of brute strength. The weight doesn't need to be super heavy with asymmetrical stance exercises - it's more about mastering the balance challenge with a load. Using too much weight will surely make you hate them.
    I hope all that made sense. :+1:

    That's a good point. I've thought about incorporating split squats at some point in the future. I'll definitely look into adding them sooner than later! Thank you :)

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