A Move You Should Do MONDAY – A Tale of Two Lunges

This week, it’s two for the price of one. The line lunge and long lunge look very similar but by changing two things, the width and length of your step, makes all the difference.

In the line lunge, start with your feet together. Take a short step so that your back knee touches the floor just behind your front heel. This emphasizes the gluteus medius and quadricep muscles as it requires more hip adduction and knee flexion.

In the long lunge, start with your feet hip width apart. Take a long step so that your front leg does all of the work to slow your descent to the floor and then to pull you back up. This lunge emphasizes the gluteus maximus and adductor magnus muscles.

Why does this matter?

Learning to lunge properly goes a long way in helping you function better. Many daily activities require some variation of a lunge like walking up steps or picking things up off the floor. By mastering the lunge, you protect your knees and low back by activating the largest muscles of your legs. Is one of these lunge variations harder than the other? That might clue you in to which muscles are weaker.

So find the longest hallway in your house and give these lunges a try.

Because nobody has time to be in pain.

Until next time…