Dumbbell/Barbell Lunges
Description
Lunges are great because they give you the option to manipulate the muscle recruitment by alternating your stance. For example, the further you step out, the more involved the hamstrings and glutes (buttocks) become. As for knee safety, the ideal position has the knee tracking over the ankle throughout the movement. If the knee drifts over the ankle during the lower phase, additional stress is placed on the knee. Luckily, this is unlikely to occur when taking a wide stance. However, if the stance is too wide and the back leg fully extends, the risk for sustaining an injury to the pelvic region - particularly the sarcoiliac joint - is increased. The trick for performing this exercise correctly is to find a happy medium with regards to your stance. As you adapt this exercise into your routine, you’ll be able to determine for yourself what best suits you. Also, it should be noted these dynamic lunges may not be the best choice for beginner trainees due to the level of body awareness required to perform them correctly.
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How To Do Lunges
- Hold an appropriately weighted dumbbell in each hand using a closed grip. Arms should be fully extended and dumbbells should be in a neutral position at the sides of your body.
- While keeping your back straight, step forward with your lead leg. Visualize a spot on the floor as a marker to ensure that each repetition will be of the same distance.
- Once lead leg hits your visual marker, inhale and allow knee to bend until it reaches a 90 degree angle. At this point, the knee should be positioned over the ankle and the knee of your back leg should be approximately 2 to 3 inches off the floor.
- Exhale and forcefully push through the heel of the lead leg until you’ve reached the starting position once again.
- The movement can either be repeated once again with the same leg or the lead leg can be alternated from left to right until failure is reached.
Variations
The same movement can be executed by positioning a barbell across the rear deltoids muscles instead of holding the dumbbells.
The same movement techniques apply with the barbell method. The only additional factors to take into consideration are regarding the bar positioning.
If the bar is positioned too high up on the trapezius, you are more susceptible to cervical (neck) injuries. Specifically the C7 vertebra.
Resting the bar along the rear deltoids not only decreases the risk of injury, it also increases the power potential by shortening the arm lever.
It is also recommended that you keep your wrists straight to prevent the weight from drawing them into hyperextension. Doing this will ensure that you maintain a secure grip on the bar to reduce the chance of dropping it, and it will also minimize the negative stress placed upon the wrist joint.
Performing lunges using a Smith machine is a great way for beginners to get used to the movement without having to stabilize as much. Just click the link to access the instructions - lunge exercises.