What Muscles Do Lunges Work?
Lunges are a well-known and performed exercise in gyms across the United States. This lower-body exercise is popular not only for the strength it can help build, but also because it’s an excellent option for quickly and effectively building muscle mass.
In this article, we’ll discuss the ins and outs of lunges and how they can maximize your workout. We will also include some effective lunge variations you can try during your next workout.
The Benefits of Lunges
If you’re looking for an exercise that has multiple benefits that it can add to your workout, lunges are an excellent choice. Below are just a few examples of how you can benefit from incorporating lunges into your routine:
- Increased Stability – Because lunges focus on strengthening both sides of your lower body unilaterally, it allows you to increase your stability and balance significantly.
- Enhanced Symmetry – Your overall symmetry and alignment can be improved through the implementation of lunges into your workout routine. Because lunges workout each side independently, you can hone in on areas that may need to be focused on in order to strengthen and enhance your body’s symmetry.
- Increased Weight Loss – Your overall resting metabolic rate can be increased by conducting lunges; this is because you are working some of the most massive muscles in your body during this exercise.
- Wide Variety of Variations – You can never get bored while doing lunges – that’s because the variations seem practically limitless! Each lunge variation comes with its own unique set of benefits and muscle focuses.
- Identifying Issues – Because the focus is placed independently on each side of the body, it can make it easier to identify potential problems and weaknesses. This fact can prove helpful for those who perform athletically.
Why Working Out Your Lower Body Muscles Is Important
The muscle groups in the lower portion of your body are essential for performing critical functions in regular movement. Specifically, improving the strength and muscle mass in your lower body muscles can help you in the following ways:
- Improved Agility – Athletes place an enormous dependence on the capabilities of their lower body muscles. Sports like basketball, track, soccer, football, hockey, and more heavily rely on lower body muscles to propel them forward and keep them balanced at all times. By focusing on working out lower body muscles, many athletes are able to see significant agility and performance improvements.
- Better Fitness Performance – Many different exercises rely on lower body strength to power them through the workout. By focusing on building up strength and tone in lower body muscles, you may find it easier to perform other exercises better and with more significant results.
- Pain Reduction – For some, improving lower body muscle strength can improve and reduce painful areas. Enhanced lower body strength can improve posture and help stabilize regions, such as your back, that may be causing you pain.
- Prevention of Injury – When you have strengthened muscles, especially in critical areas like your lower body, your chances of injuring yourself during daily activity or athletic performance are significantly reduced.
What Muscles Do Lunges Work Out?
Lunges workout a variety of muscles, which makes them even more popular as a compound exercise. Compound exercises are movements hat work out a variety of muscles at once. Here are the muscle groups you can expect to be worked by performing lunges:
Lunge Variations to Try
Suppose you’re looking to incorporate lunges into your workout routine. In that case, you’re in luck – lunges can be performed in a variety of different ways. Here are some simple and popular lunge variations to try. Each of these variations will focus on particular areas of lower body muscles and can be incorporated into your weekly fitness schedules as needed.
- Reverse Lunges – Through conducting reverse lunges, you can specifically focus on working out your core muscles, glutes, and hamstrings. Here’s how you can do this variation:
- Stand up with your back straight and your hands placed on your hips.
- Step backward with one foot and begin lowering your hips towards the floor. Your heel should be positioned upwards, and your knee should be parallel to the floor.
- Return to the standing position to complete the rep.
- Repeat the same steps with your other foot and continue alternating for your predetermined amount of repetitions.
- Walking Lunges – The walking lunge variation is excellent for working on your hips, core muscles, and glutes. To perform this exercise, try the following steps:
- Begin by standing upright with your feet placed together. Place your right arm up with your hand near your face.
- Step forward with your left foot and lower your hips down to where your thigh is parallel to the floor. Your right knee should be just above the floor and parallel.
- Using your left foot, push off from the floor and fluidly bring your right foot forward while lowering your left leg parallel to the floor. This will complete two walking lunge repetitions.
- Continue these motions for your predetermined amount of repetitions.
- Stationary Lunges – Stationary lunges focus on working quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings. Here’s how you can conduct this lunge variation:
- Stand up with your back straight and your hands placed on your hips.
- Step forward with one foot and begin lowering your hips to towards the floor. Your back heel should be positioned upwards, and your back knee should be parallel to the floor. Your front thigh will similarly be parallel to the floor.
- Return to the standing position to complete the rep.
- Repeat the same steps with your other foot and continue alternating for your predetermined amount of repetitions.
As always, make sure to practice safety when performing any new exercise. It is recommended that you seek guidance and assistance from experienced trainers when possible until you are comfortable enough to complete the exercise on your own.
