Walking lunges

[legs 30]

In stationary lunges, you push-back with your leading leg. In the walking lunge, you're bringing your back leg forward to meet the leading leg.

Where's the strong push-back in this.

What am I missing?

[b0ngman]

walking lunges are better

[legs 30]

How so?

[AnaerobicAndrew]

Excellent Lunge info:

Phase One
Your first objective as a neophyte lunger is to grow accustomed to the movement's range of motion. The exercises in this phase help you build your stabilizer muscles, diminishing the possibility of injury. Even the most advanced lungers should incorporate these into their workout as warm-up exercises. If you're already familiar with lunges and currently perform them with weights, you should also begin to mix Phase Two exercises into your routine.

Stationary lunge

Without using any weight, take a long step forward (your leer should be three or four feet apart). Slowly lower yourself until your back knee nearly touches the ground. At first, balance your body weight between your front and back legs so you feel the stress in both. As you become more comfortable with the movement, shift the emphasis of the weight toward your front leg. Do 10 reps, then switch legs. (If you're having trouble with balance, grab a squat rack or other piece of equipment. Work up to performing all three sets without assistance.) Once you've got the motion down, repeat the same process with a short barbell across your traps. Because of its length, a short bar allows you to develop better balance than an Olympic bar. Once you're able to perform three sets of 10 without wobbling, you're ready to take on stepping lunges, the crux of the lunge workout.

Unilateral/alternating stepping lunge

The execution of unilateral and alternating lunges is similar. With either variety, you must get used to the motion before you start piling on weight. With your hands on your hips, or holding a short barbell across your traps, step forward three or four feet and lower your weight until your back knee is almost touching the ground. Most of the weight should be absorbed by the quadriceps of your stepping leg. With the workload focused on your front quads, push up evenly from your front toe and heel, returning to the original standing position. For unilateral lunges, repeat until you complete 10 reps with one leg, then perform 10 reps with the other. As you get used to performing these, begin adding weight. Start with a light cambered or short barbell (20 to 45 pounds), or two light dumbbells. You can also begin to perform alternating lunges. For these, alternate legs until you've completed 10 reps with each leg. These exhaust your thighs at a near-equal pace and are somewhat more challenging than unilateral lunges, which allow one led to rest while you focus on the other.

Walking lunge

This is an excellent exercise for targeting your glutes. Because the thrust of your momentum is constantly forward, it's somewhat more difficult to target your quadriceps. Walking lunges are a bit risky because as your leos tire, you open yourself to the possibility of misstepping. Balance can also be tricky, so use dumbbells rather than a barbell. With several yards of clear space in front of you, begin the motion as you would for alternating lunges. Step forward three or four feet and lower your body. As you raise yourself back up, shift your weight onto your leading led and bring your back leg up. You may want to pause with the weight evenly balanced on both legs. As you become more experienced, take your trailing led through and continue forward without pausing, mimicking the motion of normal walking.

Phase Two

In this phase, you'll work on strengthening your stabilizer muscles. Keep doing the exercises from Phase One while slowly adding weight in small increments. You'll begin to see increases in both mass and definition as you incorporate the following exercises.

Dumbbell lunge

This exercise is basically a variation on other types of lunges, such as unilateral and walking lunges, and can be performed in place of them. It also offers several unique advantages: Dumbbells are easier to control, facilitating balance, and you may be able to use more weight than you would with a barbell. Stationary dumbbell lunges also exert less pressure on your spinal column, making them an excellent alternative for those with back trouble. Start with a dumbbell in each hand. Step forward two or three feet, then lower yourself until your forward thigh is almost parallel to the ground and the knee of your back led is almost touching the ground. Press through your front foot as you return to the starting position. Don't swing the weights as you complete the motion. Use wrist straps for support if necessary.

Phase Three

In this final phase, gradually add weight to the movements described above while also incorporating the following advanced movements into your workout. This is a serious mass-building phase, targeting muscles that are infrequently recruited during regular weight training but are essential for explosive athletic movements.

Side lunge

This advanced exercise develops your hip abductors and abductors, plus your quads. It's ideal cross-training for tennis, basketball and any other sport that demands quick lateral movement. Perform these with a barbell across your shoulders, and use less weight than you've been using on the simpler moves. This particular exercise motion is tricky and may feel uncomfortable, so warm up with no weight before you begin. Start as you would for stepping lunges. With your left leg, step out two or three feet to the side, keeping both feet pointing forward. Keeping your right leg straight throughout the motion, bend your left leg, lowering your body until your left thigh is nearly parallel to the ground. Press up through your left heel, returning to the starting position. You can perform these unilaterally, completing 10 reps with one leg and then switching, or alternately, switching back and forth between legs.

Reverse lunge

This advanced movement mimics a one-legged squat and requires more balance than many other types of lunges. As with all these exercises, strict form is crucial. Step two or three feet back with one leg, placing only the toes of your back foot on the ground. Lower yourself until your back knee is almost touching the ground, keeping your upper torso upright, your abs tight and your hips rotated back. Maintain continuous tension on your front quads to emphasize them. Mirroring the motion of the squat, push through your front foot to lunge your body back to the starling position.

LUNGE TIPS

* The wider the step, the more you recruit your glutes. A narrower step tends to emphasize your quadriceps.
* To target your quads, keep your weight evenly distributed on your front foot. Putting too much weight on your heel overemphasizes your glutes at the expense of your quads.
* You don't want your knee to move out over your foot when you lunge forward. This puts undue stress on your knees and poses a serious injury risk.
* You can use a Smith machine for reverse lunges. This reduces the amount of balance required, making it simpler than doing barbell reverse lunges.
* Lunging onto a raised platform or similar incline is another way to target your glutes

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