Have you ever had trouble doing lower body exercises such as lunges because of discomfort in your knees? If you aren’t dealing with a pre-existing injury, chances are the discomfort is from improper form and technique.
When done well, lunges are an effective exercise for toning your legs, booty and core. The key to getting the most from the exercise is performing it properly. Below are my tips for performing lunges without discomfort.
*Disclaimer: please consult your doctor before beginning any new exercise program. This advice is intended for adults with healthy knees who need tips on proper form. If you are currently dealing with an injury, please only perform exercises that have been approved by your doctor.
1. Widen your stance. First and foremost, begin with feet hip distance apart. If your feet are too close together, it is easy to lose your balance and cause poor alignment. Tip: while performing the lunge pretend your feet are on two opposite railroad tracks. This widens your base, giving you greater stability and helps you maintain your balance.
2. Keep your knee over your ankle. Ideally in a traditional lunge, your front leg should be at a 90 degree angle with your knee directly above your ankle. If you look down and can’t see your big toe, your knee is extended too far. Stand up straight and sit the hips back slightly until you can see the tip of your shoe.
3. Plant your heel. The key to an effective lunge is keeping the heel of your front foot firmly planted on the ground. All of your weight should be planted in that heel to work your glutes as you come back up from the lunge. If you lift that front heel, excess pressure will be placed on your knee, potentially leading to injury and causing you to miss out on the booty-building benefits of lunges. Tip: I like to raise my toes slightly while raising from a lunge, to ensure I’m keeping my heel down.
Try this: a reverse lunge. If you’re just starting to get comfortable with the lunge movement pattern, reverse lunges can be easier on the joints than a traditional forward lunge. Begin in a standing position with feet shoulder distance apart. Take one step back, slowly bending both legs into a lunging position. Press through that front heel to return to standing, and repeat on opposite leg.
Talk to me:
- Do you include lunges in your fitness routine?
- What are some of your favorite lower body exercises?
Keeping your stance wide is so important! I see people doing such narrow tight lunges with terrible posture and I cringe!
Agreed! Its like trying to lunge on a balance beam – not a good idea!
I tend to hate lunges because they bother my Achilles a lot of the time. Any tips for this?
Great question! I will have to do some reaearch on that and get back to you.
Lunges! One of the best booty moves by far 🙂 Great tips, especially the reverse lunge. That would be a perfect place to start for beginners
I’m all about building up that booty! 😉 And yes, I totally agree that reverse lunges are perfect for beginners.
I have such bad knees but I still try to incorporate lunges into my workout because I want to strengthen my glutes for running. I do love me some squats though 🙂
Ooooh yes. Building up that lower body strength will definitely help with running. And I love squats too! Easily one of my favorite exercises.
Great tips! I always have clients start out with rear lunges first. I think it’s so much easier for them to learn to keep their weight in their heel, and to use their hamstrings more to come back up.
Thanks Deanna! I totally agree, rear lunges for the win. Do you still train in-person clients or are you mainly based online?
I LOVE lunges, and have most of my clients do them during our sessions. That being said, I try to stick to reverse lunges – forward walking and stationary tend to aggravate my/their knees, because we get a little lazy with our form 😉
Exactly! I’m a big fan of reverse lunges
i love/hate lunges! i actually used to love lunges when i was in middle/high school & a gymnast. i was the weird one. then as i did less gymnastics and more workouts on my own, they definitely were one of the exercises that helped me shape my legs!
now, i know they work so well, but they’re so hard haha. i never thought about widening my stance, so i’ll give that a try! otherwise my form is pretty good. keeping the toes in front of the knees is crucial!!
Widening your stance is everything! It’s a total game-changer when it comes to helping you keep your balance!