Lunges target the gluteus maximus. This exercise targets the obliques, deep lower back, hamstrings, calves, hip stabilizers, and adductors (muscles inside your thighs). The workout is related to outdoor and endurance sports and requires maintaining balance, stability, and coordination.
While there are some changes, the basic movement stays the same. Begin by standing with your feet hip-width apart, your hips square and level, and your toes pointing forward. Take a significant stride forward or backward while using your core muscles. Drop your hips in a smooth, downward-sweeping arc until your front thigh is parallel to the ground and your back knee is an inch or two above the ground. To stand, press your front heel down and work your glutes and hamstrings.
Four Crucial Tips for Enhancing Your Lateral Lunge
The step should be large enough that your forward leg’s knee lines up with your ankle and does not extend beyond your toes. Shorter steps target the quadriceps, while longer lunges target the glutes. Outdoor athletes are already quad-dominant and lack control of the posterior chain.
- Keep your knees in line
If your knees fold inward during the lunge action, this indicates poor knee control and can cause discomfort. If you have shaky knees, skip the lunges and work on side steps and backward skates with resistance bands to develop your stabilizers, such as your glutei medii.
- Check out your posture
Many individuals round their lower backs or lean forward. Proper form necessitates a strong, stable central line. When lunging, keep your pelvis neutral, chest high, and torso upright so your spine is stacked vertically. You’re working against yourself, off your center of gravity, and inefficiently if you’re not correctly lined up, which increases your chance of injury.
- Slow down
Rushing through the workout is inefficient and raises the chance of injury. Lunges should be done slowly and deliberately. Instead of pounding out trash repetitions, pay attention to form and mechanics.
- You Hyperextend Your Neck
While you may believe it is assisting you in perfecting your technique, it is most likely hyperextending your neck muscles. This puts a lot of strain on your neck and lower back and hinders you from getting the most out of your core.
- You Over-Rotate Your Trunk
When you lean to one side in a lateral lunge, it’s easy to over-rotate your body. However, this puts undue strain on your knees, lower back, and hip flexors while stressing the wrong muscles (i.e., not your glutes and hips).
- Your Stance Is Too Narrow
If you step to the side with your feet too close together, your knee may migrate laterally over your ankle, potentially causing knee discomfort.
- You Tuck Your Butt
While lateral lunges work your buttocks, hamstrings, and hips, never try to activate them by tucking your tailbone. It can cause you to clutch your glutes, leading to knee pain, lower back pain, and pelvic floor dysfunction.
- You Turn Your Feet Outward
This might put a lot of strain on your knees and hinder you from achieving optimal glute activation. When your feet are turned outward [even a little past parallel], you may see your hip flexors attempting to perform the job.
- Distributing Weight Exclusively To Your Heels Or The Outer Edges of Your Feet
Maintain your weight in your heels when completing squats. When you do lateral lunges, your hamstrings and glutes will be more activated since your weight is uniformly distributed across your foot.