lunge

This workout will have your LEGS & GLUTES screaming! Try it today…

Working unilaterally, or one side at a time, is a great way to work both your stronger and weaker leg individually. This kind of training helps to balance out muscular imbalances which can ultimately lead to injury due to overcompensation of your stronger side. Just a warning- You will feel this your thighs and glutes not only during the workout, but for a couple of days after. So you may as well just invite the burn. Best of all, all you need is a set of dumbbells for this workout- No excuses!

EQUIPMENT:

  • A pair of dumbbells (5-10 lbs)
  • Your body ready to push!


INSTRUCTIONS:

  • Complete four rounds of the 5 exercise circuit below. For each round, you will complete the reps on one leg, and then on the other, hence UNILATERAL leg training.
  • Round one: 5 reps of each exercise, all with your right leg forward, then do the same with your left leg forward.. (nice and easy right?)
  • Round two: 10 reps of each
  • Round three: 15 reps of each
  • Round four: 20 reps of each. (Ouch! Right?!!!!.. but oh so good!)
  • Hold you DBs by your side for each exercise, except fort the last one. No DBs needed, as you will need your arms to help propel you up on that jump. This one will definitely get your heart rate up as well!
  • Check out instructional videos of each exercise in links provided.

 exercise circuit

  1. Reverse lunge
  2. Stationary lunge (full range)
  3. Lunge pulse (only pulsing the bottom portion- harder!)
  4. Curtsey lunge
  5. Lunge knee up w/ jump (or w/out jump for low impact)

key points for proper lunge form:

  • Keep your hips square and facing forward- meaning don’t leg one hip drop or rotate as you perform your lunge, which happens often since you are loading one side at a time.
  • Don’t neglect your back leg. Often I see clients working hard and focusing on the primary mover- the front leg, but fail to bend the back one in order to balance out the exercise. Even though the front leg is taking the majority of the load, the back leg needs to be bent to 90degrees as well at the bottom of each rep, don’t let it lag behind.
  • Try to perform your exercises in front of a mirror to be aware of your body alignmnent and help prevent the above mistakes.

Now go give it a try and let me know how it went. Feel free to post any comments/questions on my Facebook or Twitter pages. Or contact me directly for any further questions.

Happy Workout!
Justine 🙂