Shape your legs, tone your butt and build functional
strength,with the Reverse Lunge. Lunges are an exceptional
exercise for conditioning your lower body. They stress the
muscles from a perfect angle to develop incredible shape and
symmetry in your legs, thighs and butt.
Because they require balance, lunges also build neuromuscular
and functional capacity - helping your body go through its daily
motions and letting you pick up your children with ease.
Whether you're trying to lose weight, want to look sleeker in
shorts, or improve your athletic performance, lunges should be
part of your training program.
In my opinion, the Ultimate Lunge is the Reverse Lunge. There
are many types of lunges, and many ways to perform them all, but
since we only have time to cover one - my choice is the reverse
lunge. Here's why:
- Because you have more balance and support, it's easy to learn
and perform. Plus, you have less momentum to contend with during
the exercise which provides more effective stress to the muscles
and yields better results.
- It's safer and softer on your knees because your back foot
absorbs the ballistic shock of the lunge step. (Contrasted to
the front lunge where impact shock can transfer to the knee even
if you land heel to toe.)
- It creates muscular balance by initiating the movement
backward as opposed to most other exercise movement patterns
that take you forward and bias your musculature toward forward
motion.
How To Do A Reverse Lunge Correctly
- Start facing forward, with your feet shoulder width apart, and
your arms at your side.
- Step back with one leg far enough to allow your knees to bend
at 90 degree angles. You can simultaneously bring your arms up
to act as a slight counter balance. If you want a greater
challenge, hold light weights in your hands.
- You're in correct position at the bottom of your lunge when
your front knee is directly over the ankle.
IMPORTANT - To go back to the start position, start dropping
your arms and lift from the heel of your front leg. DO NOT PUSH
OFF YOUR BACK LEG. This simple advice will dramatically improve
the effectiveness of your reverse lunge, give you a far tighter,
leaner butt and get you much better results in half the time.
Try doing reverse lunges 3 times a week on non-consecutive days.
Work up to 2 sets of 10 repetitions on each leg. After a month,
I think you'll be amazed at the impact the reverse lunge will
have on your physique.
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