Have you, or someone you know, given up on lunges because of knee pain? We’ve heard your cries and we’re here to show you how to lunge without the pain!
Watch Dr. Rob demonstrate the most common mistakes and the perfect form!
https://youtu.be/S7oE84ReqN0
Lunges are one of the most versatile and functional exercises out there! If you’ve ever knelt down to tie your shoe or pick something up off the floor then you’ve probably done a lunge.
Lunges are single-leg body-weight exercise that works all the muscles in your lower limbs like your gluts, quads, hamstrings, calves, and even your hard to target adductors on the inside of your thigh. Since they are a unilateral exercise they also activate your core. That’s a full body workout!
When done properly these can be an amazing exercise that doesn’t add extra strain on your joints and because they require no equipment, you can do them anywhere.
While this may seem like a relatively straight-forward exercise, there are a ton of mistakes that people make when lunging!
You can easily make lunges easier or more difficult based on your fitness level.
If you’re new to fitness then then static lunges or TRX lunges are a great way to incorporate your fitness routine!
Static Lunge:
- Stand with one foot in front of the other
- Slowly lower yourself down until your back knee is almost touching the ground
- Slowly raise yourself up to the starting position
- Repeat 5-10 times then switch legs
TRX Lunge
If you have access to a TRX machine these can take some of the pressure and weight off of your knees!
- Stand holding the TRX at elbow height
- Step back into a lunge while pulling on the TRX to help support your weight
- Slowly stand back up using your front leg for power
- Repeat 5-10 times then switch sides
Our exercises are only as good as the form we use! Some common mistakes we see when doing lunges are:
- The front knee goes too far forward. Your knee should be behind your toes!
- Leaning too far forward. Some people have trouble fully extending their hip so they compensate by leaning forward during a lunge. Your torso should be upright and tall throughout the whole lunge.
- Turning in or out of the foot. Your back knee and your foot should be in the same plane, almost as if you’re lunging on a straight line.
Once you master Dr. Rob’s pain free lunges with perfect form then you can start getting to the more challenging stuff like walking lunges, weighted lunges, or even unilateral hold lunges!
Adding dumbells, a barbell or a kettlebell to your lunge can make them more fun and functional.
Which lunge is your favourite? Let us know at your next appointment!
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