1 Song Forward Lunge Exercise Challenge

Forward Lunge Exercise Workout and Challenge

The Lunge is a staple exercise for fitness–and yes, it’s for a good reason. Not only does the exercise strengthen your legs or shape your back, but it also works the quads, hips, glutes, abs, and hamstrings, all at once. But most importantly, when lunges are properly done they can greatly enhance your stability and, at the same time, help you improve your posture. With that in mind, how are lunges done?

Forward Lunge Exercise

Step 1 – Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart. Then, try to elongate your spine by keeping it straight and drawing your shoulders back while gazing forward.

Step 2 – You can now step forward while keeping your right foot 2 to 3 feet ahead. Ensure that you keep your back straight while moving the leg forward.

Step 3 – At this point, you can lower your hips by bending your knees at a right angle. While doing this, ensure that your front knee doesn’t extend over your ankle. At the same time, try to ensure that your back knee hovers above the ground. Your weight, by now, should be resting on your heels as you try to get back to your original position. Repeat this exercise as many times as you can while switching sides.

Walking Lunges

Step 1 – Like with forward lunges, start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart (the right foot at the front). Also, ensure that your back and spine are kept straight, while your shoulder is kept straight with a forward gaze.

Step 2 – You can follow the third step in forward lunge to perform a single lunge; but pause when you get down.

Step 3 – Next, move forward by pushing your left ahead–shoulder-width from the right foot, which is at the back by now. Keep switching between your right leg and your left one until you perform your preferred number of repetitions to call it off—preferably, 15 and above.

Challenging Your Muscles

You can perform a bicep curl using dumbbells while performing the lunges to, as well, work the upper part of your body while strengthening your legs. For advanced version of the lunges, you can increase the weights by getting heavier ones. Similarly, once you start feeling like you’re getting stronger, you can start holding the lunges for longer periods of time before resuming to your original position and if your up for a challenge you can take the 30 Day Lunge Challenge.

Preventing Injuries

Even though forward lunges are among the most effective ways to exercise your lower body, most people prefer not doing them because they excessively strain the knee. To reduce the strain and the pain, it’s recommended that you take smaller forward steps as your lunges. The good part is that you can still gain strength and maintain alignment even after reducing the range of your forward step. After that, you can gradually increase your lunge distance as the pain keeps on reducing.

On the same light, you can perform the lunges from an inclined surface to enhance the difficulty even further. Also, try to perform the lunges without alternating between the right and left leg for a given number of repetitions before switching to the other leg.

Muscle Benefits of Lunges – Strengthening your legs and buttocks

As reported by the American-Council-on-Exercise, lunges and squats are among the most effective work-outs for the lower body. They effectively exercise quadriceps and glutes; and engage your hamstrings, as well. The best part is that; by strengthening these muscles, you’ll also be speeding up your metabolism. As a result, you’ll find yourself losing more weight than before–thus, recommended for weight loss.

Improving Your Core Strength

Lunges are actually important when it comes to improving your core strength. For one, each time you perform lunges, you’ll also be engaging your core muscles–including abdominal muscles and the back as well, every time you try to remain upright and well balanced. And by having a strong core, you’ll be relieving your lower back pain; improving your posture and balanced; and lastly, you’ll also be improving stability and athlete performance.

If you’re having a knee problem, it’s recommended that you see a doctor first before you embark on the lunges program. The same advise goes to those who want to include dumbbells in this workout regimen–a doctor’s advice may be imperative for your overall well-being, especially if you’ve been experiencing difficulties during your workouts.