Help! I hate lunges, how can I learn to like them???

DixiedoesMFP

I actually kinda like them.

Shock_Wave

I dont like trainers that say this is what you have to do because its out of your comfort zone. You can make custom work outs that people can enjoy still getting the same results if not better and keeping the client happy is every thing. Its about pushing your thresholds not killing that person.
Honestly if i could can put my foot up my *kitten* I am sure this will put me out of my comfort zone but I wouldnt enjoy that at all. Training doesnt have to be pure torture. Exercise can be customized to fit your needs and it can be fun also! There are MANY other ways you can hit the same muscle groups such as squats which to me feel way more comfortable and are just as effective if not more. If you dont like lunges then try another exercise that will benefit you all the same.. Take care and enjoy your exercises.

sunshinegirlnm

I hate them too! I can barely get out of my desk chair right now because of them...and I hate squats, burpies, mountain climbers...oh yes. But there's nothing we can do about it but suck it up. I recommend putting some Five Finger Death Punch or Cancer Bats on your MP3 player and getting angry lol

That's what I'll do -- when doing lunges, remind myself they are NOT mountain climbers. I hate THOSE most of all! LOL

sunshinegirlnm

Do them in Sun Salutations!

LOVE me some sun salutations! Good idea. Thanks!

sunshinegirlnm

And the winning answer is....drumroll please.... :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

* Someone once told me "Lunges are the differemce between granny panties and thongs." I think of that everytime I do lunges and it makes them seem easier, haha.

Erykah3584

Just keep doing them! They will get easier.

175to125

Just think about how great they are for your butt!

vmclach

the more you do them, the more you like them.
eventually start doing them with weights in both hands. Once you increase the weight enough, then doing a lunge with no weight will be very enjoyable and easy and you will like it. lol

flimflamfloz

I hate them too... So boring.

I think if you do them very slowly and with very heavy weights, they become OK-ish though (also you end up finishing them in 4-5 reps :laugh: ).

marianne_s

Yeah, keep doing them - start with static ones... where you don't step into the lunge - this will probably help you make sure you've got correct form & protect your knees

This time last year I could barely do 2 without crying in pain and dripping in sweat.... now I can do 10-20 without any problem...

DixiedoesMFP

I agree with slow and heavy. When I try to do them faster, I feel like I am all wobbly.

maryjay51

i hate lunges and squats ... despite everyone i know says they are a really good exercise i do not like them . unless my trainer really insists, i do the leg press, leg extension, leg curls, brisk walk backwards on the treadmill on an incline .. hip adduction and abbduction .. for some reason lunges and squats bother my knees but these other exercises do not so you have to work with what you are comfortable with

Jessica0982

If anyone likes lunges I'd love to hear how/why? LOL.

Sadly, we can probably all admit that lunges totally suck, but they also are the best way to tone up!

I actually do my lunges in front of the mirror. I always watch myself so I can see my form and make sure I am taking a deep enough lunge.

However for me, I've suddenly got this arch problem when I do lunges and it's KILLING me! I got some new sneakers, tried them out, they seem great but I still get that cramp in my arch. I have had people suggest some inserts to give me support but I have yet to find one that actually fit just right. (Any suggestions are welcomed?)

Dauntlessness

There is this metal bar in my gym and if I hold on to that while I do lunges, it helps greatly. I have arthritis in my toes so it take a little pressure off even though I still feel my muscles burning. Just don't use it to the point your not getting any exercise from it. lol

ShaeDetermined

U won't like em, but u can learn to suck em up!

Do 3 minutes of deep walking lunges, and reg or round the world lunges will seem like a walk in the park!

tigersword

If you don't like lunges, don't do lunges. Squats are better than lunges anyway, IMO. Barbell squats are even better.

Also, if squats are hurting your knees, it's because your knees aren't tracking with your toes most likely. I've had 'bad knees' for years, but ever since I started doing barbell squats I've had no knee pain at all.

dcarreno

I though the topic was I hate lungs.. Oppsy so nothing to say about lunges except maybe if you call them leaps it will be better!!

13hirteen

I started liking them once I started doing them with barbell on my back.
You could alternatively do split squats.

In essence, everything's better with barbells.

13hirteen

I started liking them once I started doing them with barbell on my back.
You could alternatively do split squats.

In essence, everything's better with barbells.

daphnemoon

They will NEVER get easier, trust me. No matter how fit, toned, strong, whatever (and I'm not talking about *me*, I'm basing this on what lots of much fitter people than me have said ) - you just have to learn to love them somehow.

I do loads of lunges in body pump at the gym, and I used to hate them so much that I almost considered giving up Pump just to avoid having to do them. But then in release 79 they gave us the hardest lunge track ever and I just decided I was going to deal with my lunge issues. Through loads of practice (at home as well, how said am I....) I managed to get to a stage where I could do the whole track (never mind a single 'set' without stopping to shake out all the pain.... That said, it was more a psychological issue for me.

I agree that you have to tailor your exercise programme to what you enjoy, but come on, people are being a bit naive if they think you can design a programme where people love EVERY single exercise they do, and it never feels uncomfortable. It is when you are feeling the burn that change happens, and isn't that the point of exercise. If I want to have that much fun I'll do something else. But conversely, I would never go to an exercise class that didn't make me smile in some way, even if it was because of how much of a struggle it was! Happy lunging.

tamtam7882

hahahahaha, that will work for me!!! LOL

ninerbuff

I dont like trainers that say this is what you have to do because its out of your comfort zone. You can make custom work outs that people can enjoy still getting the same results if not better and keeping the client happy is every thing. Its about pushing your thresholds not killing that person.

Lol, there's a difference of being out of your comfort zone and "killing" a person. A few reps and sets of lunges won't "kill" you unless there's a serious knee, hip or ankle issue.

Honestly if i could can put my foot up my *kitten* I am sure this will put me out of my comfort zone but I wouldnt enjoy that at all. Training doesnt have to be pure torture. Exercise can be customized to fit your needs and it can be fun also! There are MANY other ways you can hit the same muscle groups such as squats which to me feel way more comfortable and are just as effective if not more. If you dont like lunges then try another exercise that will benefit you all the same.. Take care and enjoy your exercises.

You're over dramatizing. Exercise doesn't have to be torture but it has to be challenging. Lunges are tough and many people avoid them because it's a hard exercise to do like good squats and deadlifts.
I customize ALL of my clients workouts, but if they needed a buddy to cater just the exercises they think are effective, they wouldn't need my help. Point is I get the results they want and some have to work hard to do it.

A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

tamtam7882

hahahahahaha, that works for me!!! BOOTY-LICIOUS!!

MightyVoltron

Someone once told me "Lunges are the differemce between granny panties and thongs." I think of that everytime I do lunges and it makes them seem easier, haha.

JennBona

Someone once told me "Lunges are the differemce between granny panties and thongs." I think of that everytime I do lunges and it makes them seem easier, haha.

Haha I love this...but I do agree lunges suck!!!

MightyVoltron

Hahaha......that will be my new mantra....thanks

hypergrl

On a more helpful side, I can't do very many full lunges yet, my knees feel as though they are going to blow out. I told myself I hated them until I started doing Jilian Michaels 30 day shred and she said that the modified version is ok too. Rather than killing myself by getting so low I can't get back up, I concentrate on doing really well formed half lunges and I get the same result.....I still can't get out of my office chair the next day, but at least I still have my knee caps....

The main reason I dislike lungers is because I worry about my knees just like you, but I have to say they are one of my least favorite exercise and those pendulum lunges that JM makes you do those are my enemy.

ninerbuff

They will NEVER get easier, trust me. No matter how fit, toned, strong, whatever (and I'm not talking about *me*, I'm basing this on what lots of much fitter people than me have said ) - you just have to learn to love them somehow.

I do loads of lunges in body pump at the gym, and I used to hate them so much that I almost considered giving up Pump just to avoid having to do them. But then in release 79 they gave us the hardest lunge track ever and I just decided I was going to deal with my lunge issues. Through loads of practice (at home as well, how said am I....) I managed to get to a stage where I could do the whole track (never mind a single 'set' without stopping to shake out all the pain.... That said, it was more a psychological issue for me.

I agree that you have to tailor your exercise programme to what you enjoy, but come on, people are being a bit naive if they think you can design a programme where people love EVERY single exercise they do, and it never feels uncomfortable. It is when you are feeling the burn that change happens, and isn't that the point of exercise. If I want to have that much fun I'll do something else. But conversely, I would never go to an exercise class that didn't make me smile in some way, even if it was because of how much of a struggle it was! Happy lunging.

This.

A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

sailorsiren13

That quote is amazing but true as a thirty something who hates granny panties and lunges i will do them til i cry because i get results with them and love it when my *kitten* starts to defy gravity and shrink like something off of willie wonka!

hypergrl

If anyone likes lunges I'd love to hear how/why? LOL.

Sadly, we can probably all admit that lunges totally suck, but they also are the best way to tone up!

I actually do my lunges in front of the mirror. I always watch myself so I can see my form and make sure I am taking a deep enough lunge.

However for me, I've suddenly got this arch problem when I do lunges and it's KILLING me! I got some new sneakers, tried them out, they seem great but I still get that cramp in my arch. I have had people suggest some inserts to give me support but I have yet to find one that actually fit just right. (Any suggestions are welcomed?)

you need to stretch out your calves and your arches...try massage your arch with a tennis ball by standing and applying a little bit of weight. It'll feel good too! I get this everyonce in awhile and most of the time it's poor shoes and the tightening of my ligament or tendon.