As I've stated before, lunges are one of the best exercises you can do to tone your lower body. When doing a lunge, you are working your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and core. If you add side to side direction, your abductors and adductors are also working.
The problem with lunges, is that a lot of people do them incorrectly. It is extremely important that you keep your body in proper alignment when doing a lunge. Your chest should be up, your shoulders down and back, your knees should be in line with your ankles (not over your feet). As you lunge, you should feel your back knee bending toward the ground (it does not have to touch the ground) at a 90 degree angle. Look at the picture above, she has perfect form.
***If you have knee problems/pain, DO NOT do this challenge. Change the lunges to squats instead. Squats will help get the muscles surrounding your knees stronger so that eventually you will be able to lunges with proper form and be pain free. I included an additional video on the destruction of a squat--to show the proper form for that.
Please make sure you are warmed up before doing this challenge. It would be great to do as part of a circuit--do some cardio first, then the challenge and then some more cardio. Lunges are aerobic as well, so your heart rate will stay up the entire time.
Bob Harper's Lunge Challenge
Deconstruction of a squat
For those following BeFit in 90: BeFit in 90 -- Day 19
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