Step 1: Grab dumbbells with palms facing you and thumbs wrapped tightly around dumbbell (you can also attach ankle weights if you want). Stand up and keep dumbbells by your side.
Step 2: Keeping your body upright and your core tight, lift one foot off the floor and step forward. You should step far enough forward so that your thigh can become parallel with the floor and your back knee can touch the ground. Make sure the foot you are lunging with lands on the heel first. As you shift forward, keep your body upright, keeping the weight of your body in the center. Avoid driving your hips forward, which would cause you to lean too far forward.
Step 3: Once your heel touches the ground, lower the body until your leg is parallel with the ground. Your knee will bend, but ensure that you keep your back straight. .
Step 4: After pausing for a split-second, return to the original starting position, pushing off the ground with your heel, straightening your leg and activating your leg muscles. Keep your foot pointing straight ahead throughout the movement. For the balance lunge, when returning to the starting position, lift your leg up in the air, keeping your knee bent and hip flexed.
Step 5: Pause for a split-second with your leg at a 90-degree angle and then return to the lunge position for the next rep.
Step 6: Take a breath between reps, exhaling only when reps are completed. Repeat until the desired reps are reached with each leg before repeating for the desired number of reps with the opposite leg.
Benefits:
The lunge is a tremendous way to build up strength and muscle in your entire leg and especially your quadriceps muscles.
The lunge is a great supplementary movement for your legs and when done properly can really target hard-to-hit muscles on your inner leg. It is also a great exercise for developing power in the quads and glutes, which can be beneficial for bringing up your squat.
This is a great exercise for beginners, but proper form is crucial to avoid knee, ankle and leg injuries. Never let the knee drift past your toes on the lunge portion of the lift, and don’t let your upper body drift too far forward during the lunge. Taking a proper step – where your leg is parallel to the floor at the end of the movement – will ensure proper technique.
Keeping your foot straight ahead will also ensure maximum benefits.
The balance lunge helps improve balance and also flexibility in the hip region, adding a degree of difficulty to the lunge.
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