I had the pleasure of introducing one of my personal training clients to lunges today. I thought I could easily write a blog post about lunges (and split squats), only, once I started looking, I saw that there are a lot of posts about it! If you haven’t already done so, I highly recommend adding lunges and split squats to your regular routine to help strengthen your legs.
Here are my favorite types of lunges:
Front and Back Lunges: Right leg stays stationary. Left leg steps forward and you do a left leg lunge. Push off from the left leg, swing your leg through to the back and do a right lunge. Bonus points if you can balance and not have to put the left leg down except for the lunges!
TRX Jump Lunges: Set the straps to mid-length (look for the = mark on the strap), make sure your elbows are directly under your shoulders and that you have tension on the straps, then step your left leg back into a lunge position. Explode up with both legs and while in the air, switch your legs so your right leg is now in front. Repeat!
Rear-Foot Elevated Split Squats: Stand a couple of feet in front of a flat bench. Keep your right foot on the ground and put your left foot on the bench (the top of your foot rests on the bench). Stay as upright as possible and drop your left knee towards the ground, also bending your right leg, taking care to keep your right knee over your right ankle. Then, stand up and repeat!
Lunge and Split Squat info taken from: Henry Halse
Maria Netherland is a Northwest Florida-based coach who is a USA Triathlon Level II Endurance and Youth & Juniors Certified Coach as well as a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and Performance Enhancement Specialist. Coach Maria loves working for athletes of all abilities, military athletes, and new triathletes as they pursue their goals. Maria is a veteran of the US Army and a United States Military Academy at West Point graduate. She can be reached at maria@teammpi.com.
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