Leg strength isn’t a nice-to-have as we age, it’s a non-negotiable. Strong legs will make everyday tasks – like getting up from your chair, climbing the stairs and bending down – easier. And to do so, you don’t need to trudge to the gym.
Simply doing some lunges in your living room will leave you with more muscular, leaner legs that will protect you against falls and frailty.
The benefits
While squats are often the go-to leg exercise, lunges are even better for us because they work one leg at a time, which has been shown to result in faster strength gains than working both legs at once.
Lunges are a great starter exercise. They involve a very simple move – you stand up, put one foot forwards and then bend both knees to roughly 90 degrees.
They are fabulous for working all the major muscle groups in our lower body – quads (front of thigh), hamstrings (back of thighs), adductors (inner thigh), glutes (buttocks) and calves (back of lower leg). They also engage the abs and our lower back.
Lunges can also help prevent sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss). We need to make sure our muscles don’t go backwards in their size and strength, as this contributes to poor metabolic health and reduced longevity. A 1 per cent loss in muscle size is accomapnied by a 3 per cent loss in muscle strength.
Importantly, if you do suffer a fall, the position you get into to catch yourself is a lunge – you step forward on one foot and try to balance. This makes them a really key exercise to make sure you have control if you trip.
On their own, lunges are already an intensive exercise. However, adding in weights to your lunge routine – either by holding weights in your hands or putting a barbell across your back – works the same muscles even more so, helping you to get stronger, faster.
The common mistakes
The position of the pelvis and feet is one thing people can get wrong when doing a lunge. They should be facing directly forwards, not turning inwards or outwards. Keeping an eye on your alignment will protect against injuries.
Balancing is another common issue. All of your weight should be going through your front leg, while the back leg should only be used for balance. People often split their weight, so that their back leg is taking some of it. This reduces the workout and therefore gains that the move offers.
People can also take too large a stride when they are doing lunges. You don’t need to. It’s a fairly central body position. This mistake can put too much stress on the front knee and hip.
Which type of lunge to do
All lunges work the same key muscles but there is variation on how hard they work them.
The reverse lunge is more dynamic and athletic than a standard (forward) lunge. It is hugely effective because it requires another level of stability and balance and works the thighs and glutes more than other types of lunge.
Meanwhile, a lateral (sideways) lunge engages the hip abductors more than other variations, which can support hip mobility and flexibility.
The exercises
1. Reverse lunge
3 – 5 sets; 10 – 15 reps
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Stand tall and step one foot straight back, landing on the ball of your foot.
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Lower your hips until both knees are bent at 90 degrees, ensuring your front thigh is parallel to the floor and your knee is aligned over your ankle.
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Push off your back foot to drive yourself back up to the starting position.
2. Barbell reverse lunge
3 – 5 sets; 6 – 12 reps
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Carefully place a barbell across your upper back and shoulders.
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Stand tall and step one foot straight back, landing on the ball of your foot.
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Lower your hips until both knees are bent at 90 degrees, ensuring your front thigh is parallel to the floor and your knee is aligned over your ankle.
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Push off your back foot to drive yourself back up to the starting position.
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Maintain a tight core and chest-up posture throughout the movement to secure the bar and protect your spine.
3. Dumbbell reverse lunge
3 – 5 sets; 8 – 12 reps
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Hold a dumbbell in each hand, letting your arms hang straight down by your sides.
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Stand tall and take a large step back with one foot. Lower your hips until both knees are bent at 90 degrees, ensuring your front knee stays behind or directly over your ankle and your back knee hovers above the floor.
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Push off the front foot to return to the standing position.
4. Lateral lunge
3 – 5 sets; 10 – 15 reps
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Stand with your feet together, facing forward.
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Take a large step directly out to the side with one foot. As you step, keep your non-moving leg straight and push your hips back, bending the knee of the stepping leg until your thigh is parallel to the floor, maintaining a flat back.
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Push off the stepping foot to return to the centre.
5. Barbell lateral lunge
3 – 5 sets; 6 – 12 reps
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Rack a barbell across your upper back and shoulders, adopting a slightly wider-than-shoulder-width stance.
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Take a large step directly out to the side with one foot. As you step, keep your non-moving leg straight and push your hips back, bending the knee of the stepping leg until your thigh is parallel to the floor, maintaining a flat back.
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Push off the stepping foot to return to the centre.
6. Step-back lunge-to-knee lift
3 – 5 sets; 8 – 12 reps
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Stand tall and step one foot straight back, landing on the ball of your foot.
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Lower your hips until both knees are bent at 90 degrees, ensuring your front thigh is parallel to the floor and your knee is aligned over your ankle.
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Drive your weight through your front foot and powerfully lift the rear leg’s knee up toward your chest in one fluid motion, standing tall on the single supporting leg.
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