Switch up This Classic Move and You’ll See Your butt Lift
|One of the most functional exercises is considered to be the lunges. They’re right up there with squats!
Lunges are excellent for working out the body and the core.
These exercises can be done with just your body weight, or you can make them more challenging by adding free weights like dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells, or resistance bands.
Lunges are also a unilateral exercise, meaning that you primarily train one side of the body at a time.
This makes lunges a great exercise for identifying and correcting any muscle imbalances you have between your left and right sides. It also challenges your stability, making it a great core workout.
When it comes to lower body exercises, lunges are one of the best for building strength, increasing endurance, and improving balance. But the truth is that they are also excessively boring.
Use these four lunge variations to improve your lunges.
Dumbbell lunge
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart while holding a dumbbell in each hand at your sides.
- Extend one leg behind you as you lean forward until your body is parallel to the ground, extending your arms toward the ground.
- Go back to the starting position.
- Repetitions: 12 to 20 repetitions with each leg.
Bowing lunge
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms by your sides.
- Putting your weight on your right foot, step back and pivot with your left foot – almost as if you’re bowing – allowing your arms to come out in front of you in a comfortable position.
- Make sure your chest stays straight.
- Begin to straighten your right leg, pushing up through your heel and returning your left foot to the starting position.
- Do 10 repetitions on each side.
Split lunge
- Take a big step forward with your right foot and distribute your weight evenly between your feet.
- Bend your knees and squat down, stopping when your right thigh is parallel to the ground.
- Push up with your right foot.
- Complete 3 sets of 12 repetitions.
- Switch to the left foot and repeat.
Jumping lunge
- Get into a split stance with your right foot forward and your left foot back.
- Go down into a lunge and immediately push down to the ground to jump up as you switch feet.
- Complete 16 reps total, alternating legs on each jump.
- Rest and repeat until you complete three sets.