How To Do Effective Lunges Without Injury
There are many different types of lunges, the standard, front lunge, probable being the most common. But a lot of people who have existing knee problems don’t or can’t do them because they feel knee pain either during or after doing them. Also if done incorrectly lunges can cause undue strain through a previously perfectly healthy knee and over time create knee problems in itself. You need to make sure you do lunges without injury.
So how do you do effective lunges without injury?
Firstly let’s lay out the different types of lunges and how to do them. They are 4 main types of lunges;
1/ Front Lunge
Position:
Stand upright with knees bent and stomach braced.
Technique:
Take as big a stride forward as possible with 1 leg.
Bend the knee as you make contact with the floor and push back up through the heel of your foot.
The more you are able to bend the knee the more difficult the exercise becomes.
Points To Remember:
Keep your back upright and straight throughout.
As you bend the front knee, ensure it does not go further forward than your toes.
Make your stride forward as far as possible for maximum benefit.
2/ Side Lunge
Position:
Stand upright with stomach braced and knees bent.
Technique:
Stride sideways as far as possible and bend your knee as you contact the floor.
Press back to starting position through heel of foot.
Points To Remember:
Ensure your weight is always through heel of foot.
Ensure back remains straight.
3/ Back Lunge
Position:
Stand upright with knees bent and stomach braced.
Technique:
Take as big a stride backwards as possible with 1 leg.
Bend the knee as you make contact with the floor and push back up through the heel of your front foot.
The more you are able to bend the knee the more difficult the exercise becomes.
Points To Remember:
Keep your back upright and straight throughout.
Make your stride backward as far as possible for maximum benefit.
4/ Transverse Lunge
Position:
Stand upright with stomach braced and knees bent.
Technique:
Step around in an arc with 1 leg reaching back as far as possible.
Bend the knee and press back to starting position through heel of foot.
Points To Remember:
Bend knee as much as possible but make sure your knee does not extent past toes.
Keep opposite leg completely straight.
Lunges are a great exercise and should be a part of everyone’s exercise routine if at all possible. You work the entire lower body; quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves, and all the surrounding smaller muscle as well. But you must do them properly. Make sure you are doing lunges without injury.
Tip 1 – Ensure you alignment is right.
With a front lunge for example both feet and knees should be facing forwards at all times. With a lot of people I find there is a tendency for (their back foot in particular) to point outwards or inwards slightly as they step forward into the lunge. This mis-alignment means you are putting a lot strain through either the inside or outside of your knee. It may not cause injury straight away but over time this repetitive strain will take its toll. So make totally sure you are in perfect alignment.
Tip 2 – Don’t bend lower than your body wants too.
In an ideal world you would bend nice and low with all the different types of lunges. But for some people going all the way down (in the case of the front lunge so your back knee is literally just off the floor) can cause too much strain and therefore pain. So listen to your body and only go as low as you can without pain. If needs be you could always lunge, say, two thirds of the way down, but hold some dumbbells in your hands instead of bending all the way down to make it harder.
Tip 3 – Don’t Go Too Fast
Doing any exercise too fast and out of control is more likely to cause injury. Take you r time with them and ensure you have the perfect technique before even thinking about increasing the speed.
Tip 4 – Warm Your Knees Up First
Don’t just pick up some weight from cold and start lunging. You need to warm the joints up first. Whether it is from some walking, or on another cardio machine, or even squatting. Just don’t go into them without giving your knees a chance to warm up.
Conclusion – How To Do Effective Lunges Without Injury
The reality is some people have serious knee injuries and simply shouldn’t do lunges. But for most people who just have niggling knee problems strengthening the surrounding muscles such as the quads and hamstrings will actually over time help to support the knee joint and take the strain off it. Lunges are a great exercise for strengthening these muscles. You just have to ensure you follow the steps above and do your lunges sensible and safely.
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