Lunge Variations
Chris FreytagDescription
Mix up your routine with several new lunge variations you can start using today. As you know, the lunge is an amazing lower-body exercise, but if you’re bored with traditional lunges, there are several different lunge variations which can make your workouts more fun. New lunge variations also change the direction in which you’re using your muscles, which helps you tone up more quickly and start seeing results.
Most people are used to doing stationary lunges, taking one foot forward and one foot behind you. Chris will guide you through the proper form for this basic move first, making sure your feet are far enough apart so your back knee points down and the front knee tracks over the top of your shoe. Forward lunges are one of many lunge variations you can do, and Chris will demonstrate that next. Stepping forward with one leg, your front knee should still track over the top of your toes. A reverse lunge is the opposite, where you step backwards and keep your body weight evenly distributed between your two legs.
Next, Chris will show you how to do jump lunges—oftentimes called “split jumps”—where you bring both feet off the ground at the same time. Plyometric moves like these get the heart rate up and build bone mass and muscle strength. At the end of the video, Chris will demonstrate cross-behind lunge or “curtsey” lunges. You’ll sit down into a “curtsy,” come back up, and then switch to the other side. These lunge variations will help you build strength and tone muscles in your lower body, so you can see the results you want while mixing up your regular routine.
All exercises you perform are your own responsibility and you perform them at your own risk. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider before starting any physical exercise, fitness or wellness regiments of any kind.
Hi, I'm Chris Freytag, and today I'm going to show you several different variations of the lunge. Now the lunge is a great lower body exercise and there are lots of different variations. So they make your workouts fun and they change the direction that you're using your muscles, help you tone up quick and get results. Stationary lunge. So that's with one foot forward, one foot behind you. You want your feet far enough apart that when you bend down you're on your back toe and your back knee points down, front knee tracks over the top of the shoe. Now you can do a stationary lunge down and up right here and then you would switch legs. A forward lunge is going to have you step into the lunge, so you're going to step into lunge forward with one leg, step back, come to the other side, tracking that front knee over the top of the toes or the shoe, bending that back knee down. A reverse lunge is going to do just the opposite, step you backwards, so you're going to step back on that toe, put that body weight evenly into both legs and then come back up, reverse lunges. And again, I'm alternating. You could stay on one side if you wanted to. There are lots of different ways to do this. Jump lunges, or split jumps, as they call them, you're going to bring both feet off the ground at the same time. This is a plyometric, so it's going to help you to get your heart rate up and build a little bone mass and muscle strength. You're gonna lift up, switch feet in the air, lift up, switch feet in the air. Make sure you are bending that back knee. And last but not least, let's try some cross behind lunges, or sometimes called curtsy lunge. You're going to step back with one foot into a cross behind or a curtsy. You want to be mindful of how that knee feels in the front, okay? Sit down at that curtsy, come back up and then switch to the other side right here. Stepping on that back toe, crossing behind you. That's a bunch of different variations. You'll see lots of these in the get healthy UTV workouts, and I hope you'll give them a try.
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