Q+A: The Single-Best Exercise, Period.
Q: "What do lunges help you with? How many sets and reps should I do?"
-JordanHu
TRAINER ANSWERS: It’d be shorter to answer “what don’t lunges help you with?” Lunges are one of the best exercises you can do for the leg muscles that contribute to burst and speed: quads, hamstrings and glutes. Your technique for lunges determines what muscle group you’re going to work.
HAMSTRINGS: Stand with your hands (and dumbbells) over your head. Lunge forward, and bring the weights down to touch your toes. Return to the starting position. GLUTES: Hold a Power Ball at chest height, then lunge forward. Step-jump forward and fire the Power Ball. QUADS: With a barbell in a squat rack, step forward into a lunge, then return to the starting position. Alternate legs.
July 31st, 2007 at 4:54 pm
For another version of lunges and my favorite exercise (besides the squat) try walking lunges with a barbell on your back. No rest or stutter steps aloud.
October 17th, 2007 at 6:32 pm
[…] editor wrote a fantastic post today on “Q+A: The Single-Best Exercise, Period.”Here’s ONLY a quick extractLunges are one of the best exercises you can do for the leg muscles that contribute to burst and speed: quads, hamstrings and glutes. Your technique for lunges determines what muscle group you’re going to work. … […]
January 8th, 2008 at 11:17 am
Walking lunges where you laterally flex toward the front leg and lunges where you rotate toward the front leg also work really good.
January 8th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
Umm…isn’t the narrative about lunges? Why show pictures of someone touching a “line” and Leinart doing step ups?