Question about form on lunges

M

munchkin928

Cathlete
Hey all! I recently rearranged my living room so that I was able to set up a mirror to look in while I did my exercise videos, and got a bit of a revelation about my form. Almost every time I start back into working out I pull a hamstring while doing lunges. This time I have been very, very careful and have avoided problems, but I still feel stress in them.

Anyways, while I was doing Leaner Legs this weekend and watching my form, I found that I've been being soo careful not to let me knees go out over my toes that I've been basically doing the lunge with my knee almost behind my heel rather than right on top. When I let my knee come forward just a little bit I felt stronger and thought that I felt the exercise in my quads more.

Is it possible that I have been overusing my hamstrings in lunges because I was being overly cautious with my form? Or do I just have weenie hamstrings? :) Also, when I look at the women in the videos (including Cathe even...) it looks to me like they do let their knees go over their toes. Am I missing something here?

Thanks very much for you input... I hope this question is understandable (I had trouble with my question about deltoids! :) ).



Amanda
 
Hey Amanda,

Awesome question! I've often looked at the form of the women in the videos & wondered why they don't look "perfect." I am guessing that it might have to do with camera angles & such. Whatever the case, I really don't worry about it too much & just make sure my form is perfect.

I, too, have some "issue" with my ham strings when doing lunges. I have found that when I lightened up my weight & got my form right, my hams didn't hurt as much following a workout. Once I got my form right, I GRADUALLY increased my weight & now can match & even top Cathe in my lunges on a couple of tapes. I no longer have "over use" problems with my ham strings.

Hope that helps!
 
Hi Amanda! Sometimes you have to go back to the basics and re-align yourself! Having a mirror is an excellent way to keep an eye on form and you can catch when you are getting sloppy! It all depends on how you could be feeling that day , maybe your pushing yourself to hard too soon or you just may need to adjust your poundage accordingly! I just "Love" them Lunges and what they do for the legs! The QUEEN of Leg exercises, It's soo important to master your form on these to prevent injuries(as with anything else)If anyone is checking in on this post to learn how to do a proper lunge, For starters I'd experiment with a stationary lunge, your set up will be in a kneeling position(one knee down), make sure your other knee is at a 90 degree angle with knee going over the ankle but not the toes, now push yourself up and you should be in proper alignment! To do the stationary lunge, Stand in your lunge position with your right leg out in front and your left leg behind you resting on your toe. Stand tall with stomach held in.Slowly lower your body to that 90 angle at your knee (and your upper leg is parallel to the floor.) Raise back up without locking out your knee – leave a bend. The movement is straight down and straight up.(North and South) You can also set yourself up by doing the same thing but this time by a wall so that your back heel is at the wall for support and balance, get in kneeling position, rise up and do your lunges. You can also experiment with using the step at 8" for front lunges then lowering the step height as you get better for a deeper lunge. Your goal will be to do it on the floor! Good luck! There are soo many variations with the lunge, which is an awesome exercise for our lower body! What's especially nice about the Lunge is that there are many varieties you can perform- (reverse Lunge, Forward Lunge,stationary lunge, gorsha lunge, Inner Thigh Lunge, Crossover Lunges (Front & Reverse) side to side Lunges etc! The most effective and safest variation of lunging is the Reverse Lunge.Unlike a forward Lunge, taking a step backwards rather then forward completes a reverse Lunge. The effects on the muscle are the same, but the reverse Lunge places less stress on the knees because the knees cannot extend beyond the toes. I tell people all the time, if in the beginning of the routine, if their knees start to hurt, to do the reverse lunges( if that feels better ) then continue on until their knees get stronger and used to the regular daily leg workouts. It's important to focus on all the muscles on the legs to get the most out of your leg routines, work them evenly and keep a balance! BTW Once you master the reverse lunge and want to kick it up a knotch, you can reverse off of the step or do one legged lunges! Just whatever exercise you do, pay attention to your form at all times,breathe and if any thing feels uncomfortable stop that exercise and find another one that you can do safely. Always listen to your body! HTH those interested in setting up for lunge position!

;)
 
Awesome info Francine. You are the best!

I think I need to buy myself a mirror. I'm scared I might be shocked at what I think is good form.

Thanks again for all the tips - you are the BESTEST!:7
 
There are different names for lunges , I just gave a few, but the crisscross( or crossover lunge) is lunging diagonally.A Reverse crisscross is stepping ( or crossing)behind "diagonally" coming into a lunge or a forward crossover is stepping (crossing) diagonally forward coming into a lunge. ( Always keep the knee in one line with the ankle ) You can also think of a clock, and lunge your right leg across your left so your foot is at 11 o'clock position.Then reversing left leg across right so that your foot is at 1 o'clock.(remember to bend your knee as far as your flexibility allows)When reversing your lunge backward,lunge your right leg behind your left leg at 7 oclock then alternate your left leg behind your right at 5 o'clock(not a rule just an idea of direction) To make things more interesting you can do a multi dimensional lunge. Lunging with your right leg, lunge to the right in four positions: lunge to the side and return,lunge out to 45 degrees angle,return,lunge straight ahead, return,lunge across your left leg to 10 oclock and return--then repeat on left! You can do a lunge wheel any way that you like, you can also add squats an ex of this is do a lunge front(return)- side(return) -reverse(return) -squat in middle then do other side (or stay on same side for fatigue)also you can incorporate knee lifts, inner thigh sweeps, outter thigh lifts, or butt lifts with your lunge wheel .(Just some ideas to add when desired.) I personnally like to do a lunge wheel on the step, (take your time on the pivot)(all of these moves are on step with same foot on step ) . It's a front lunge,pivot turn and plie side ways, then pivot turn to a reverse lunge, pivot turn plie side,then front pivot again ! Here's a pic on my photo album of this move. http://www.hpphoto.com/servlet/com.hp.HPGuestLogin?username=francigirl&password=92000903
go to fitness fanatics album and you'll see me doing this move on the step!
The gorsha lunge is a one legged squat, you can use a step,tallbox,knee high bench,or chair behind you. Stand 2- 3 feet in front of the bench, place your toe on the bench behind you,drop your hips down as far as you comfortably can, then return to starting position. After all your reps, switch legs. HTH
Hey Punky ! I'm glad you found this helpful;)
Enjoy your lunges}(
 
Francine, Which one of these is a "Gorsha lunge"?

By the way, I often find your posts interesting and informating, but, maybe because of my "needing bifocals but don't want to get them yet" eyes, they're often hard to read (for moi) because they're usually one loooooong paragraph. I'm afraid I'm missing some vital info in the middle of the paragraph somewhere because it's hard fo me to read through it. Could you PLEASE, pretty please, consider spliting things up a bit?
 
Gorsha Lunge

Hi Kathryn! The gorsha lunge is similar to the stationary lunge, the difference is your rear leg is elevated to knee level(this increases the stress on the working leg). You can use a step,tallbox,knee high bench,or chair behind you. Stand 2- 3 feet in front of the bench, place your toe on the bench behind you,drop your hips down as far as you comfortably can, then return to starting position. After all your reps, switch legs.
PS I apologize for my lengthy posts that are cluttered looking, I'm the "worst" at typing,(not my forte) I should have paid more attention in typing class }(
Will work on it ;-)
 
RE: Gorsha Lunge

Thanks! I've seen Gorsha lunges, but didn't know what they were called.

I also now see that you already described them, but I think my eyes were tired out by the time I got to the description.:)
 
WOW! Thanks for the info. I didn't know about most of it. You're very knowledgeable and I appreciate you sharing that.

What are BUTT LIFTS?
 
>What are BUTT LIFTS?

This is what Cathe calls a move in Muscular Endurance. You get into a lunge position, then lean forward onto the front leg (guess you wouldn't lean forward onto the back leg..oh well!). Focusing on just moving the front leg (the back leg is just for support and doesn't bend) you lower straight down then push back up. It's pretty much a version of a one-legged squat or lunge. If you focus on pushing up thorough the heel of the front foot, you'll know why they're called butt lifts (could also be called "butt burners!")
 
Francine,

I just wanted to tell you that your post really helped me a lot with my form on lunges. I was doing 50 pounds, but based on what I learned from you, I've gone back to doing them with no weight for a short time, just so I can concentrate on form and balance. I find that I was taking a lot of shortcuts to get the 50 up and down, not going down very deep at all (although it FELT deep at the time :). Now that I'm using no weight, I'm still getting sore, simply because I'm going so low and doing them correctly now. Thanks so much. I'm one of these people who learns better from reading about it than from seeing it, I guess.

Thanks again,
Shari
 
You are correct! I guess my brain just saw the terms as synonymes! Maybe a "butt lift" is a plastic surgery procedure!
 
Butt lifts

This is "my" name for this exercise because it is soo effective at lifting the butt}( I should have written "rear leg lift" for the lunge move I mentioned so that you could have better visualize it! This can be done with lunges by lunging forward on your right leg and you are "lifting" your left leg up behind you contracting your glute muscles! You can either alternate legs with the front lunges with this added move, or do stationary lunges with the rear butt lift or do a 4 position move a reverse lunge-rear leg lift-then reverse lunge and return to starting positon, you can also do walking lunges as another example! If you want to practice this move for the first time
Stand straight behing a chair While standing straight, lift your right leg back behind you, keeping the leg straight. Then bring the leg back to the floor. Repeat with your right leg for 10 repetitions. Then continue with your left leg. After one repetition on each side, do another full set. Build to 5 reps of 10 on each leg. Another variation to build stronger thighs bend your knees slightly while doing this exercise. You can add intensity by using ankle cuffs or any tubing here's a link for the ankle cuffs if anyone is interested (if you are certified you get 40 % off)
http://www.sissel-online.com/product/ankle_exercise_tube.php! You can also purchase them at www.spri.com If you have a tallbox(fannylifter)do them on here (intense)

There are many "other" positions for the BUTT LIFT move(not in lunge form!) Another rear leg lift exercise for you but this time your on your hand and knees, abs are tight, extend right leg to the rear. Raise (Contract glutes) and lower leg (vary tempo and add pulses - you can also bend the knee for an added burner!
Enjoy your leg workouts everyone!;)
 
Deborah,

It was really nice to hear from someone else with tricky hamstrings as well. They seem to be so much better this time around, but it's still frustrating. It's nice to hear the problem will go away eventually. :)

Thanks!

Amanda
 
Francine,

I just wanted to say thanks for you detailed reply. I could feel how enthusiastic you are about lunges... it almost makes ME excited to do them (not quite yet, though). I really appreciated all the variations that you presented. It gives me quite a few to try out. If you have time, would you mind to rank them in order of 'difficulty?'. It seems to me that that 'dip' (backwards lunge) is the easiest, followed by regular lunges, but them I'm not so sure. I'm just curious what you think, so if you don't have time, no problem.

Thanks so much again!

Amanda

EDITED to add (doing lots of this today!): Also what does changing the angle of the lunge do, as in the cross-overs or round-the-clock lunges? Which muscles are affected by the change? Thanks!
 
Hi Amanda!
You can always make a simple move more challenging by changing your reps ,sets, tempo, adding resistance and by just sequencing your exercises differently! How do you do your lunges now as far as reps and sets go? That will have alot to do with varying the degree of your intensity of a certain exercise along with varying your tempo ( an example of tempo is when you lower in 3 counts and then 2 counts up) and also adjusting your step height level !

When you asked to list the order of difficulty of lunges, I'll try to give a fair run down of beginner to advanced starting with the basic lunges!(not a rule just a simple guideline reference for you;-) No matter what lunge you do it is a very effective challenging move!

Also to answer a few of your questions: on changing the angle, this puts the emphasis more on another muscle( an example is a front crossover , it still works the legs but has emphasis on the inner thigh)

Question for reverse lunge being the easiest, well it's easier on the knees and is a neglected exercise that is the most important lunge that puts additional emphasis on the hamstrings. You can use a step for added intensity on this exercise when needed(not a necessity)!

Basic Lunge List
Forward Lunge
reverse lunge
stationary lunge
(the above 3 also on a step)

Intermediate
side to side lunge
crossover lunges (crisscross,curtsy dips)
inner thigh lunge( right leg lunging at 2'oclock)
Lunge wheel(front side reverse)
walking lunges
diagonal walking lunges
lunge w/outer thigh lift
lunge w/ rear leg lift
lunge w/ knee lift
petersen step ups

Advanced

step ups tallbox(up or down)
step ups tallbox w/ rear leg lift
step ups tallbox w/knee lift
Gorsha Lunge
Lunge on stability ball
Forward lunge return pulling knee up then reverse lunge then return


**Toe Lunges ( or siffies)--standing on your toes(either for stationary ,reverse,or forward lunge)(a squat can be done with this too) This will work your legs from a slightly different angle while providing great calf work. (when performing this be near something stable to balance yourself!)
HTH
Happy Lunging }(
 
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