Whether you're trying to shape your lower body, increase muscle mass, develop core strength or make your hips more flexible, the lunge can help you achieve your goal. This functional, multi-joint exercise can be modified to meet your fitness level. Whether you're doing basic beginner lunges or take on a more advanced variety, such as lunges with weights or with your rear foot elevated, the exercise is beneficial in more ways than one.
Tip
Lunges strengthen your buttocks and legs and improve flexibility. As an added benefit, your core muscles also get a workout.
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Lunge Benefits: Strong Booty
One of the main lunge benefits is that this exercise effectively works your glutes and quadriceps and also engage your hamstrings. Strengthening these large muscle groups can speed up your metabolism, which is beneficial if you're trying to lose weight. Lunges can also help you shape, tone and firm up your tush and legs.
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Improve Core Strength
Believe it or not, lunges can improve your core strength. When doing lunges, you must engage your core muscles, including your back and abdominals, to keep your body upright and balanced as you move your hips up and down. Neglecting to do this results in poor form and can trigger injuries.
Having a strong core is essential because it eases daily activities, relieves lower back pain and improves your balance, posture, stability and athletic performance.
Improve Hip Flexibility
Lunges can improve the flexibility of your hip flexors, which are the muscles you use to bend or flex your legs at your hips. Often these muscles are neglected, and if you lead a predominantly sedentary lifestyle, they can be tight and trigger low back pain.
When you do a lunge, you basically force your hip flexors to stretch. If you place your back knee on the floor and slightly lean forward from your hips, you can increase the intensity of this stretch.
Read more: Reverse Lunge vs. Forward Lunge
Things to Consider
Before doing lunges with weights or taking on lunge variations, such as lateral lunges and reverse lunges, learn to do the basic front lunge with proper form. Mastering proper form can provide optimal results and minimizes your risk of injuries.
During front lunges, it's essential that you lower straight down with your back straight. Ensure that you step your foot far enough forward so that the middle of your front knee is directly above your ankle during the downward motion. Lower your hips until your knees are bent to around 90 degrees and place your weight on the back two-thirds of your front foot during the exercise.
Modify or Make it Harder
Lunges can be adapted to any fitness level. If you are a beginner and have difficulty with a basic lunge, place one hand on a sturdy object or a wall to help with balance. If flexibility is an issue, lower as far as you comfortably can and work up to a full lunge.
To increase the challenge of this exercise, try lunges with weights — hold dumbbells for added resistance or use a barbell. You can also add a dynamic component to this exercise by doing jumping lunges, or plyometric lunges.