Lunges with dumbbells in your hands or with a barbell over your shoulders are great exercises. It helps to work the quadriceps and calf muscles, makes the hamstrings work hard, and strengthens almost all the muscles of the lower body. However, many athletes ignore it, considering it too simple and almost useless. Neither the first nor the second judgment is true. Lunges are an exercise whose effectiveness depends primarily on the technical accuracy of the execution.
It is necessary
- - barbell or dumbbells;
- - platform 30-35 cm high.
Instructions
Step 1
For a straight lunge, stand up straight. Legs together. The bar rests on the trapezius muscles in the region of the seventh cervical vertebra. If you are using dumbbells for weights, your arms should be free to drop. If the work is carried out without reinforcement by weight, then place your hands on your waist.
Step 2
Step forward with your right foot. The knee should be bent at right angles. The left knee in the back almost touches the floor. Keep your body straight with your gaze in front of you. Hold that position for two seconds and return to the starting position. First, all approaches are performed for one leg, then for the other.
Step 3
Reverse lunges are also performed from a straight stance. Stand up straight with your feet together. Take a step back. At the same time, lower the body so that the right knee is bent 90 degrees, and the left knee should almost touch the floor. Lower the body slowly for two seconds. After lowering, fix the position for another two seconds. Push off and return to the starting position.
Step 4
To increase the effectiveness of the lunges, they can be supplemented with work on an elevation. Straight lunges begin with a step forward, the foot is placed on the platform. When performing reverse lunges, the starting position is a stand on the platform. The step back is performed from the platform to the floor.
Step 5
Technique requirements are the same for all lunges. The knee of the front leg should not bend more than 90 degrees. Otherwise, the load on the knee joint increases many times over. This can lead to serious injury when working with weights.
Step 6
Make sure that the knee does not move to the right or left during the exercise. To do this, mentally draw a line through the second toe and knee. This line should match the direction of travel.
Step 7
While working with weights, the core and abdominal muscles should be tense. These muscles control all movement from start to finish and help keep the core steady and straight.
Step 8
Do not use too much weight for lunges. This prevents the body from maintaining balance and disrupts the execution technique. Even with moderate weight, lunges are great for strengthening all the muscles in the lower body.
Step 9
Try to use mainly the work of the leg remaining in place to return to the starting position.
Step 10
Do not change the position of your hands while moving. This is especially true for working with dumbbells. Hands should be freely lowered. Pulling your arms up with dumbbells is a serious mistake.
