What you should pay attention to when doing forward lunges
Hardly any workout is complete without lunges. From HIIT to yoga, the exercise is an integral part of different variations. They are ideally suited to train the entire posterior muscle chain of the body. However, you should pay attention to the correct technique when performing them:
What makes forward lunges so valuable
Lunges train the sizeable gluteal muscle and the ischiocrural muscles in particular. But the quadriceps and back muscles also have to work hard if you do the exercise correctly. Important to know: With a large lunge, the main muscles that work are the gluteal and ischiocrural muscles. In small lunges, the four-headed thigh muscle has to work more.
Pay special attention to your tibia
Lunges don’t look particularly complicated, but they do require good coordination. The tibia plays a unique role. If possible, the knee should not extend beyond the toes. This leads to extreme strain on the knee. In addition, the quadriceps, which are usually strong anyway, then dominate. Therefore, it is better to concentrate on the posterior muscle chain. The best way to do this is to position the tibia vertically when you walk forward. As a side effect, you also get a great butt.
Focus on the front leg
Another vital technique tip: When making a lunge, you should focus primarily on the front leg. In fact, it is basically a single-leg exercise. You can pretty much neglect the back leg muscularly. It should only be used to keep your balance.
The role of the front heel
The front heel plays another unique role. By literally pressing your heel into the ground, you ensure that your hips and buttocks engage correctly. Your buttocks will become firmer while your knees remain secure. You need to press them firmly into the ground while keeping your hips and buttocks well engaged. In this way, you will ensure that your knee remains stable.
Place the foot slightly outwards
One mistake is widespread in forward lunges: you try to position yourself as straight as possible when you put your leg forward. It’s as if they were trying to balance on a rope. However, it is much better to place the foot slightly outwards. This is more in keeping with your anatomy – the tops of your feet also point slightly outwards during squats – and also helps you keep your balance better.
Make lunges harder
If you are good at lunges, you can, of course, make them harder. You can work with additional weights or move the front leg to a higher or lower plateau. If you want to strengthen the deep muscles of the back, you can also make lunges on an unstable surface.