Bodyweight Exercise Series: Good Lunges, Bad Lunges

Use bodyweight lunges as part of your dynamic warm-up or as a strength exercise. Bodyweight lunges are great for adding muscular balance and dynamic balance to your lower body because you work one leg at a time (stronger leg can't compensate for weaker leg).



You also need adequate core strength to keep your body upright during the lunge. Walking lunges improve your speed because you use the same pathways it takes to run fast.

The picture above is an example of a good walking lunge and a bad walking lunge. The person doing the bad walking lunge doesn't have adequate core strength to keep his body upright.

When you do the walking lunge, don't let your front knee go past your foot and don't let your back knee touch the ground on the descent. Also, don't let the front thigh go past parallel to the ground.

To work your hamstrings more, lunge out further with the front leg. A shorter lunge will work the quadriceps more. Most people need more hamstring strength to prevent injuries.

Include this walking lunges, forward lunges, reverse lunges, clock lunges and side lunges in your workouts!

If you need bodyweight workouts that you can start at your own level, check out the Free download below (it has beginner, intermediate and advanced levels):

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Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
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