Lunges are an excellent lower-body workout for strengthening and toning the legs.
They actually strengthen all of the major muscle groups in your lower body and provide benefits that other common leg exercises do not.
Lunges, for example, reinforce and increase mobility in three of the most essential joints in your body. They're also a valuable method for correcting muscle imbalances.
Best of all, the lunge is an exercise that everyone can do—beginners can adapt it to suit their needs, whereas experienced users can find it extremely difficult for a killer workout.
The 11 best lunge combinations, as well as the two styles of lunges you should learn first if you're a beginner, are shown below.
WHAT MUSCLES DO LUNGES WORK?
Glute-hamstring-quadriceps-calf-abs-lower-back lunges work the glutes, hamstrings, quads, calves, abs, and lower back. 1 They work all of the big lower-body muscles, so they're great for increasing overall leg strength. You'd think lunges would be a common exercise. That isn't always the case, however.
People avoid lunges in some fitness circles because they've heard that they're dangerous, especially for your knees. Lunges, on the other hand, are a healthy and practical movement if you start slowly and practise proper technique.
Benefits of lunges
Here are all the benefits of adding lunges to your workout:
They work on all of your leg's big muscle groups (and your core, too).
They're a contralateral exercise, which means they work muscles on the opposite side of the body at the same time.
Balance and stability are greatly improved by contralateral movements.
They're fantastic for balancing out imbalances. If one side of the body is significantly heavier than the other, do more or less lunges to even it out! 5
Even for the elderly, they are regarded as a healthy form of exercise.
They'll increase flexibility in many big joints in your body; the front leg stretches the ankle, hamstring, and glute, while the back leg stretches the hip flexor.
It's a practical exercise. Lunges are a perfect way to keep the muscles you need for daily activities like walking, hiking, and running healthy and stable.
WHAT ARE THE BEST TYPE OF LUNGES?
Jump lunges and low side lunges done at maximum range of motion are the strongest lunges.
Each exercise provides specific benefits:
Jumping lunges target all of the main muscles in the same way as standard lunges do, but with the added advantage of plyometric training (PE). PE strengthens the body's fast-twitch muscle fibres*, which has been linked to a reduction in ageing.
*Your muscles contain both quick- and slow-twitch fibres, which promote various forms of movement. Slow-twitch fibres aid endurance training, while fast-twitch fibres aid leaping, speed, and agility. Since the amount of fast-twitch fibres in the body decreases with age, activities to keep them strong and active are extremely beneficial.
Side lunges target the inner and outer thigh muscles directly. Many people want to tone or improve this region. They're also beneficial for shoulder, groyne, and ankle mobility.
Both of these exercises, however, are more advanced. If you don't have the power or flexibility yet, you may need to work your way up to them. If that's the case, the two movements in the following segment will assist you in advancing. Increase the difficulty of the lunge variation you're doing as you get stronger. You'll be able to do all of these movements finally!
HOW TO DO A LUNGE PROPERLY FOR BEGINNERS
Let's take a look at the most basic versions of the jump lunge and the low side lunge. Before moving on to the other lunge variants below, try doing 10 reps of each with perfect form.
Beginner jump lunge variation
Exercise: Supported reverse half lunge *You'll need a chair or something sturdy you can grab onto for this exercise. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart; put your bodyweight in your heels. Hinge forward at the hips; bring your right leg behind your body, lowering toward the floor as you stabilize on that right foot. Bring your right knee about halfway to the floor—grab the chair in front of you for support. Driving through the left front heel, return to a standing position. Repeat on the other side.
Beginner low side lunge variation
Exercise: Supported half sumo squat This exercise might technically be called a squat, but it's a great way to start learning the form and working on your hip mobility for low side lunges. *Again, you'll need a sturdy object such as the back of a chair to do this one safely. Begin with both feet wider than shoulder-width apart, bodyweight in the heels.
Grabbing the chair in front of you, lower your butt to the ground about 6 to 12 inches. Bend at the hips first, and let the knees follow.
Repeat.
11 ADDITIONAL LUNGE VARIATIONS FOR STRONG LEGS
1. Reverse half lunges
2. Reverse lunges
3. Front lunges
4. Drop lunge step back
5. Drop lunge jump back
6. Jump lunge
7. Half sumo squats
8. Full sumo squats
9. Half side lunges
10. High side lunges
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