The lunge is a great exercise on a number of levels. It builds functional strength, improves athleticism and effectively builds size and strength in all the major muscles of your lower body. What’s not to like? (Besides the crippling next-day soreness, that is?)Still, lunges lay on the periphery of leg day exercise selections, often taking a backseat to more en vogue mass-builders like squats and leg presses. But if you want to build legs with finish that can also run, jump and lift with the proficiency of an NFL Pro Bowler, you’ll start building the lunge into your routine. The good news is that lunges allow you to beyond the cookie-cutter, up-and-down, three-sets-of-10 realm of squats. Lunges, by nature, are dynamic and allow you to move through various planes – as was intended – and it lends itself to alternative rep schemes that provide a break from the norm.By implementing these six tactics, you’ll be able to ratchet up the intensity (and variety) of your leg workouts, recruit more total muscle and hold on to or recapture a bit of the athleticism of your youth…but you may want to keep your masseuse on standby.
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1. LUNGE FOR DISTANCEHow many steps do you normally take when you lunge? 10? 20? That’s fine but after a time, your legs will become accustomed to this stop-and-start cadence. You can break the mold by choosing a distance and lunging to failure – no need to count reps. This will test your legs as well as your intestinal fortitude while greatly increasing your overall lunge volume.Lunge This Way: At the end of your next leg workout – i.e. following all of your heavy compound work – and using your own bodyweight, head outside and perform walking lunges for 75-100 yards. If you’re confined to the gym, do the rough equivalent in laps around the gym floor. Pause when needed but make it your goal to get through the set distance as quickly as possible. Want a stand-alone workout? Grab a set of 25-pound dumbbells and lunge 100-200 yards, then call it a day. Add weight when this no longer leaves you cripplingly sore.
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2. TABATA LUNGESTabata training emerged from studies on elite athletes. The lead researcher found that athletes who work in short, 20-second bursts are more powerful this way then when training straight through to exhaustion. Happily, this type of training has also proven to be beneficial for growing muscle. Because Tabata training – eight, 20-second work intervals followed by 10 seconds of rest – greatly increases the total volume of reps and muscular fatigue, blood flow and the subsequent stretch on muscle membranes is increased, which is thought to increase protein synthesis. If four sets of 20 steps bores you, this will light your fire for lunges all over again.Lunge This Way: Using a Tabata timer – you can purchase one from GymBoss (www.gymboss.com) or download one for your smartphone – find some real estate and perform walking lunges with dumbbells for eight, 20-second segments of work. On each work segment, be sure to pick up where you left off (i.e. if you finished the last segment with your right foot, begin the next one with your left). If you are able to get more than 12 steps on your last segment, it’s time to use heavier dumbbells. If done right, your legs will be plenty fatigued and you’ll be sucking wind.
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3. JUMPING LUNGESJump squats are great and all but the jumping lunge is far more functional, not only for weekend warriors but for those looking to increase size and strength. In sports, few jumps, if any, come from a tidy, hip-width stance. Most are executed with your feet out of alignment, one leg producing most of the force as you extend through the hips and knees. While the jumping lunge doesn’t perfectly simulate this, it does allow you dig deeper into your abductors, hamstrings and glutes than the jump squat, fortifying you against injury on the court or in the gym. It also takes a toll on your explosive energy and cardiovascular systems.Lunge This Way: Before diving into your normal sets of lunges, try three sets of 10 total jumps. To do it right, you start in a stationary lunge position with either leg in front. Explode forcefully through the ground to lift yourself up off of the floor. Switch legs in the air, land softly, descend carefully into the next rep and repeat. On each rep, make sure that both legs approach a 90-degree bend, just as you would expect in a traditional lunge. The positive portion of the rep builds explosive power and the calculated landing helps to build eccentric strength and stability.
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4. DIAGONAL LUNGESThe lunge allows you to escape the linear construct of the squat. Because it is a free-standing exercise initiated one foot at a time, you can fully capitalize on multiple planes of movement. Most lungers, out of habit or a lack of experience, keep all of their lunges in a straight line – they athletically amble from A to B without deviation from an imaginary centerline. But the body was designed for more than straight lines. One way to explore that is to simply step off that line, taking a 30-45 degree step instead of one straight ahead. This calls into action muscles that are underused or dormant, allowing you to maximize muscle growth, leg strength and overall stability while making yourself less resistant to injury.Lunge This Way: Every other leg day, substitute diagonal lunges for your regular lunges. Aim for the same number of steps or reps but take your steps out to roughly 45 degrees. All other rules for lunging, such as pressing primarily through your front foot, apply. If lunging for distance, you may want to strive for 50-75% of your usual lunging distance since you will cover less ground this way.
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5 AROUND-THE-CLOCK LUNGESMaybe you’re not a fan of walking lunges. Maybe your gym is too crowded at rush hour to navigate through a set of any appreciable distance. Maybe you live in a cold weather area and your basement or garage offer the only available space. No worries. You can still diversify your lunge portfolio in a small amount of space by using around-the-clock lunges. Using only your bodyweight to start, stand in one spot and imagine that your feet are at the center of a clock. Starting with your right foot, lunge out to 12 o’clock and step back. Then step out to one o’clock. Continue all the way down and when you lunge backward to six o’clock, you’ll switch feet. Your left foot will start at six and work its way up to 12. That’s one set. On your next set, travel back in time, starting with your left foot at 12, then 11, then 10 and so on.Lunge This Way: As a leg-day finisher, go around the clock 4-5 times. As a stand-alone set earlier in your workout, use a moderate weight load until you get a feel for how challenging it is. Your sets should be difficult but not impossible. Under load, you will want to make sure that your legs are fully warmed up because of the number of angles that you will be calling for them to work through.
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6 HEAVY LUNGESHow much do you lunge, bro? First time hearing that question? Us too. Despite the fact that lunges require tons of strength, coordination and athletic acumen, no one really ever focuses on getting stronger with them. Maybe you can help us shatter that tradition. By actively working on building strength with the lunge, you can increase strength in your other leg movements, including squats and hamstring-specific mass-makers like Romanian deadlifts. Studies show that lunges actually do more to improve hamstring strength than any other muscle in the cast of contributors.Lunge This Way: If you always start your leg day with squats, mix it up by using every other workout to focus on lunges first. Aim for a set of dumbbells – or a spotter-provided barbell – to complete 10-12 total steps worth of heavy walking lunges. Rest 1-2 minutes between sets.Editor’s Note: Stationary lunges, such as those performed in a squat rack orSmith-machine, are great for building strength because you can more safely focus on the weight being moved. But walking lunges require a bit more balance and therefore call more total muscle to participate in the movement. This provides more of an athletic element to your normal routine and can lead to more size and strength in the long run if you follow the normal rules of progression in load and volume.PERFORMANCE STACKHey, Dolph Lunge-gren…if you want to boost your performance on this exercise you’ll need a quick shot of strength plus a little boost in the endurance departmentSupplement Timing/Dose BenefitsCaffeine 200-400 mg 30-60 min. pre-workout Strength, staminaCreatine 2-5 g 30-60 min. pre-workout Strength, powerBeta alanine 2-3 g 30-60 min. pre-workout Stamina, powerBCAA 5-6 g 30-60 min. pre-workout Size, endurance
Still, lunges lay on the periphery of leg day exercise selections, often taking a backseat to more en vogue mass-builders like squats and leg presses. But if you want to build legs with finish that can also run, jump and lift with the proficiency of an NFL Pro Bowler, you’ll start building the lunge into your routine. The good news is that lunges allow you to beyond the cookie-cutter, up-and-down, three-sets-of-10 realm of squats. Lunges, by nature, are dynamic and allow you to move through various planes – as was intended – and it lends itself to alternative rep schemes that provide a break from the norm.
By implementing these six tactics, you’ll be able to ratchet up the intensity (and variety) of your leg workouts, recruit more total muscle and hold on to or recapture a bit of the athleticism of your youth…but you may want to keep your masseuse on standby.
1. LUNGE FOR DISTANCE
How many steps do you normally take when you lunge? 10? 20? That’s fine but after a time, your legs will become accustomed to this stop-and-start cadence. You can break the mold by choosing a distance and lunging to failure – no need to count reps. This will test your legs as well as your intestinal fortitude while greatly increasing your overall lunge volume.
Lunge This Way: At the end of your next leg workout – i.e. following all of your heavy compound work – and using your own bodyweight, head outside and perform walking lunges for 75-100 yards. If you’re confined to the gym, do the rough equivalent in laps around the gym floor. Pause when needed but make it your goal to get through the set distance as quickly as possible. Want a stand-alone workout? Grab a set of 25-pound dumbbells and lunge 100-200 yards, then call it a day. Add weight when this no longer leaves you cripplingly sore.
2. TABATA LUNGES
Tabata training emerged from studies on elite athletes. The lead researcher found that athletes who work in short, 20-second bursts are more powerful this way then when training straight through to exhaustion. Happily, this type of training has also proven to be beneficial for growing muscle. Because Tabata training – eight, 20-second work intervals followed by 10 seconds of rest – greatly increases the total volume of reps and muscular fatigue, blood flow and the subsequent stretch on muscle membranes is increased, which is thought to increase protein synthesis. If four sets of 20 steps bores you, this will light your fire for lunges all over again.
Lunge This Way: Using a Tabata timer – you can purchase one from GymBoss (www.gymboss.com) or download one for your smartphone – find some real estate and perform walking lunges with dumbbells for eight, 20-second segments of work. On each work segment, be sure to pick up where you left off (i.e. if you finished the last segment with your right foot, begin the next one with your left). If you are able to get more than 12 steps on your last segment, it’s time to use heavier dumbbells. If done right, your legs will be plenty fatigued and you’ll be sucking wind.
3. JUMPING LUNGES
Jump squats are great and all but the jumping lunge is far more functional, not only for weekend warriors but for those looking to increase size and strength. In sports, few jumps, if any, come from a tidy, hip-width stance. Most are executed with your feet out of alignment, one leg producing most of the force as you extend through the hips and knees. While the jumping lunge doesn’t perfectly simulate this, it does allow you dig deeper into your abductors, hamstrings and glutes than the jump squat, fortifying you against injury on the court or in the gym. It also takes a toll on your explosive energy and cardiovascular systems.
Lunge This Way: Before diving into your normal sets of lunges, try three sets of 10 total jumps. To do it right, you start in a stationary lunge position with either leg in front. Explode forcefully through the ground to lift yourself up off of the floor. Switch legs in the air, land softly, descend carefully into the next rep and repeat. On each rep, make sure that both legs approach a 90-degree bend, just as you would expect in a traditional lunge. The positive portion of the rep builds explosive power and the calculated landing helps to build eccentric strength and stability.
4. DIAGONAL LUNGES
The lunge allows you to escape the linear construct of the squat. Because it is a free-standing exercise initiated one foot at a time, you can fully capitalize on multiple planes of movement. Most lungers, out of habit or a lack of experience, keep all of their lunges in a straight line – they athletically amble from A to B without deviation from an imaginary centerline. But the body was designed for more than straight lines. One way to explore that is to simply step off that line, taking a 30-45 degree step instead of one straight ahead. This calls into action muscles that are underused or dormant, allowing you to maximize muscle growth, leg strength and overall stability while making yourself less resistant to injury.
Lunge This Way: Every other leg day, substitute diagonal lunges for your regular lunges. Aim for the same number of steps or reps but take your steps out to roughly 45 degrees. All other rules for lunging, such as pressing primarily through your front foot, apply. If lunging for distance, you may want to strive for 50-75% of your usual lunging distance since you will cover less ground this way.
5 AROUND-THE-CLOCK LUNGES
Maybe you’re not a fan of walking lunges. Maybe your gym is too crowded at rush hour to navigate through a set of any appreciable distance. Maybe you live in a cold weather area and your basement or garage offer the only available space. No worries. You can still diversify your lunge portfolio in a small amount of space by using around-the-clock lunges. Using only your bodyweight to start, stand in one spot and imagine that your feet are at the center of a clock. Starting with your right foot, lunge out to 12 o’clock and step back. Then step out to one o’clock. Continue all the way down and when you lunge backward to six o’clock, you’ll switch feet. Your left foot will start at six and work its way up to 12. That’s one set. On your next set, travel back in time, starting with your left foot at 12, then 11, then 10 and so on.
Lunge This Way: As a leg-day finisher, go around the clock 4-5 times. As a stand-alone set earlier in your workout, use a moderate weight load until you get a feel for how challenging it is. Your sets should be difficult but not impossible. Under load, you will want to make sure that your legs are fully warmed up because of the number of angles that you will be calling for them to work through.
6 HEAVY LUNGES
How much do you lunge, bro? First time hearing that question? Us too. Despite the fact that lunges require tons of strength, coordination and athletic acumen, no one really ever focuses on getting stronger with them. Maybe you can help us shatter that tradition. By actively working on building strength with the lunge, you can increase strength in your other leg movements, including squats and hamstring-specific mass-makers like Romanian deadlifts. Studies show that lunges actually do more to improve hamstring strength than any other muscle in the cast of contributors.
Lunge This Way: If you always start your leg day with squats, mix it up by using every other workout to focus on lunges first. Aim for a set of dumbbells – or a spotter-provided barbell – to complete 10-12 total steps worth of heavy walking lunges. Rest 1-2 minutes between sets.
Editor’s Note: Stationary lunges, such as those performed in a squat rack orSmith-machine, are great for building strength because you can more safely focus on the weight being moved. But walking lunges require a bit more balance and therefore call more total muscle to participate in the movement. This provides more of an athletic element to your normal routine and can lead to more size and strength in the long run if you follow the normal rules of progression in load and volume.
PERFORMANCE STACK
Hey, Dolph Lunge-gren…if you want to boost your performance on this exercise you’ll need a quick shot of strength plus a little boost in the endurance department
Supplement Timing/Dose Benefits
Caffeine 200-400 mg 30-60 min. pre-workout Strength, stamina
Creatine 2-5 g 30-60 min. pre-workout Strength, power
Beta alanine 2-3 g 30-60 min. pre-workout Stamina, power
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