Is there a knack to doing lunges?

Discussion in 'Health and Fitness' started by KarateMum, Mar 11, 2015.

  1. KarateMum

    KarateMum Valued Member

    Lunges, on the face of it they look simple: Step forward with one leg, bend that knee and the one on the opposite leg lower body towards the ground and up again, swap legs and repeat on opposite side. I've been trying them for a few months and they are not feeling any easier to do - in fact just the reverse - I fancy they are getting harder. I can't get low to the ground, I think I feel wobbly, and they feel unexpectedly awkward. It also seems the more I fight them the harder they get.

    I just wondered if it was a common problem or if its just me still a beginner. Maybe there are some tips for doing them successfully or perhaps someone can suggest which bits of me are maybe not mobile enough to do them easily and I can perhaps do something to free those bits up.

    I've got issues with press-ups too - but that is down to pure lack of arm strength which should arrive in due course, but there seems some more fundamental reason why these lunges seem awkward. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
     
  2. Fish Of Doom

    Fish Of Doom Will : Mind : Motion Supporter

    lunges are evil. getting stronger will help (and lunges will help you get stronger), but the balance and coordinationelement is separate, so yeah, you'll have to practice getting good at lunges too.
     
  3. Rebel Wado

    Rebel Wado Valued Member

    Wobbly is usually because not all your muscles are developed for an unstable position. Probably the easiest fix is to use a more stable position. Instead of stepping forward, step out at 30-45 degrees (about the same angle for a horse stance). This will open the hips and be a more stable position for a lunge. Do the same for the other leg.

    One of the best ways to improve the strength with lunges is to do something that forces you to stay low while lunging. For example, step out 45 degrees to the right and lunge down, while in the low position slowly execute elbow strikes to the front and behind you (starting with open side). Repeat for other leg.

    After this gets easier for you, then do the same exercises but step backwards and lunge in addition to the stepping forward. You should try to go across a room and then backwards across the room. Keep an eye on what is behind you and do not push off of the rear foot (that puts a lot of tension on the Achilles tendon).

    Also always warm up the body 5 to 10 minutes before doing heavy lifting or jumping with the legs. IME.
     
  4. KarateMum

    KarateMum Valued Member

    Rebel Wado, many thanks for this - I'll give those tips a go. I think I have been trying to do them as I think they should be done and not realised that I might, currently, not be physically able to do them like that. I'll try stepping out and using the elbows as you suggest. At the moment I'm annoyed with myself for not being able to do them!
     
  5. hewho

    hewho Valued Member

    I'm writing this under the assumption you are fit and healthy enough to exercise (meaning: please don't sue me!)
    I'd echo the advice about warming up, and make sure you warm up the legs specifically. I'd advise working through the range of motion after warming up, taking a few minutes to go from a small lunge, to as big as you can go. the advice I give clients is to keep your front knee above your front ankle, and your back hip above your back knee. stretching after exercise will help. (disclaimer: before undertaking strenuous activity, you should read/fill in a par q form. http://www.csep.ca/english/view.asp?x=698 )
     
  6. boards

    boards Its all in the reflexes!

    You said that the lack of balance is down to muscles not correctly developed to stabalise, so will doing wider lunges help to eventually make narrow lunges easier or are they working different muscles?
     
  7. Rebel Wado

    Rebel Wado Valued Member

    It is not actually wider lunges I'm saying to do. The stepping out at an angle is a trick intended to put the feet in the correct place to do a normal lunge. Think of the martial value of a lunge to be that used in wrestling to shoot in for a double leg take down.

    Although doing lunges by staying on "one-line" (more narrow) is harder, this position has less martial value. In fact, those that "lunge" on one line (e.g. fencers), straighten their rear leg to lunge and bend their rear leg to recover/parry after the lunge.

    With that said, you can develop the muscles used in a narrow lunge by holding a medicine ball while doing a "regular lunge" (e.g. feet in proper position for a lunge) and moving the medicine ball around to add instability.

    Pay attention to where the feet move to for the lunge in following video (second half of video). The foot position and hip movement is the same for the lunge as it is for the duck walk (first part of the video) except the duck walk moves further.

    [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yLTxCrOGyM"]Lunge Program for Men : Personal Fitness Programs - YouTube[/ame]

    The above video is the "stepping out at an angle" that helps to align the hips properly. Compare this to a more unstable lunge in the following video:

    [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29wIAbjYpCg"]Lunge Right - YouTube[/ame]

    The last video (above) is still a good workout but has less martial value because it is not a position you can hold with another person's weight on top of you, for example. As further proof, look how her rear knee has to "flare out" on the lunge, demonstrating that where her feet are positioned are not the natural position for proper use of her hips.

    The next step, when ready, would be to add in box stepping with lunges to add in plyometrics (but only under qualified supervision).

    [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxiGxyswNsA"]How to Do Plyometric Lunges - YouTube[/ame]

    Notice that the feet in the above video (plyometric lunges) end up being in the proper position for a lunge.
     
    Last edited: Mar 16, 2015

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