Lung Step Squats (Lunges) are a classic action! It is closely related to our daily life, and it is simple to operate and highly efficient in training lower limb movements.
In addition to stimulating the muscles of the lower limbs, you also need to maintain a stable and neutral spine during the movement to avoid excessive body shaking or forward and backward tilt. It also has certain benefits in exercising core strength, assisting trunk stability and movement balance.
However, the lunge seems to be a very simple movement, but in actual operation many people make mistakes. The most common one is that the gluteal muscles are not recruited enough, and more of the strength of the front thigh is used!
In order to improve this situation, today I will introduce you to a few tips to help you maximize the recruitment of the gluteal muscles (gluteus maximus, gluteus medius)
Tip 1: Unilateral loading
If you step forward with your right foot and hold it with your left hand during the action, load; similarly, if you step forward with your left foot, hold the load with your right hand
This will allow you to enjoy the effect of killing two birds with one stone during lunge squats. In addition to lower limb training, it can also train your anti-lateral flexion core strength. Your right hip has to prevent (resist) the body from falling to the left, so it forces more of the gluteal muscles to engage, such as the gluteus medius.
When performing walking lunges, it is recommended that the foot on the same side is forward without alternation.
Tip 2: Increase the overall load: one side is heavy and the other is light.
If you want to retain the benefits of one-sided loading, but also want to increase the overall load, you can consider choosing unequal weight loads on both sides, that is, choose a heavy load on one side and a light load on the other. If you are stepping forward with your right foot, , the left hand holds the heavier load; similarly, if the left foot is stepping forward, the right hand holds the heavier load.
If your overall load is 50KG, you can do it according to the ratio of 70:30. Adjust, for example, choose 35KG for the heavy one and 15KG for the light one
Tips Three: Lean your upper body forward
The lunge is a relatively upright upper body movement, mainly a knee-led movement. If you want to recruit more gluteal muscles, you can choose to lean your upper body forward. When performing the movement, keep the calf bones as vertical as possible to the ground, push the hips back (the action of the hip joint hinge), and place weight on both sides of the front feet with both hands. For people with knee discomfort or pain, you can try this version of the action