Workout Wednesday 13-03-13 – Lunge. It. Out. (The How-To’s)

It may seem like a simple exercise, but just because it’s simple doesn’t mean we are doing it right. Like most things in life, where exercise is concerned, it’s quality not quantity that counts baby.

So, over the next few weeks I thought I would break down the How-To’s of some of our more “common” and “basic” resistance exercise.

Now if you are a beginner, please don’t freak out because I said resistance exercises, you don’t need to worry about lifting heavy weight to do this, your body weight alone will provide enough resistance . . . for now 😉 You can add some weights in a few weeks when your feeling stronger and more confident.

Deal?

Virtual high five on that my friend!

OK so, this week we are focusing on The Lunge!

A Lunge is a great way to work your lower body, specifically your quads, glutes and hamstrings (think butt and thighs people) which can be a problem area for many.

Let’s break it down –

1 – Start standing with tall with your feet shoulder width apart, your arms down by your sides and your abdominals engaged (imagine there is a tiny piece of string gently pulling your belly button back against your spine), shoulders relaxed and your head is in a neutral position, looking straight ahead. Don’t forget to keep breathing.

2 – Take a big step forward, making a right (90′) angle with your knee and your calf. You knee should be directly above your ankle, if your knee is pushing out over your toes, pull it back into line.

3 – Drop down into the lung, keeping your body up nice and tall with those abs still drawn in nice and tight and your eyes looking straight ahead. Avoid leaning forward (or back) into the lunge.

4 – Push back up to standing using your legs and your butt, (you will feel it) and try to concentrate on pushing up “through the heel”. This will help take some of the pressure off your knees as you come back to standing,

5 – Alternate between both right and left legs and repeat.

A few top tips to keep in mind with any resistance training:

– Always choose a weight (if using) that is appropriate to your strength

– Think about the muscle group that your working on, today its quads, glutes and hamstrings (butt and thighs, baby)

– Take your time! Do not rush it, that’s how/when accidents happen. Take care when performing each rep, count “one Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi.”

– If you can, workout in front of a mirror, not for reasons of vanity but to ensure your using proper form.

– Keep your abdominals engaged, its your girdle. Keep. it. strong!

– Don’t forget to breathe. Breathe out when it’s toughest. for this lunge it would be when you’re pushing back up to standing from the deep depths of your beautiful lunge.

Now that we have that covered, go get your sweat on and work. it. out!