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In this blog I present two forward lunge exercise variations.

Forward Lunge Exercise Variations

The two forward lunge exercise variations presented are part of the Exercise for Better Bones Program. The two variations are:

  1. Forward Lunge Exercise • Beginner Level
  2. Forward Lunge Exercise • In Line • Athletic Level

What Muscles do Forward Lunges Work?

The forward lunge exercise work the following muscles:

  1. Hamstrings
  2. Buttocks
  3. Quadriceps

The forward lunge exercise also targets the bone of spine.

Forward Lunge Exercise • Beginner

The forward lunge exercise is part of the Active level strength exercises in Exercise for Better Bones.

Forward Lunge Exercise • Instruction

The following are the instructions for the forward lunge exercise for beginner level.

  • Start with your feet hip-width apart.
  • Weight-bear through the foot.
  • Kkeep your alignment as tall as possible.
  • Hands on your hips.
  • At this point, you should have progressed from the chairs in the beginner level (the Reverse Lunge).
  • Take an exaggerated step forward.
  • With that exaggerated step, you want to step the same distance that you did from the middle line.
  • Use the green line to show that distance.
  • Your focus isn’t on the front leg so as to not throw your weight forward.
  • Instead focus on your back knee, coming down towards the floor behind you.
  • Notice how your heel comes off from the back.
  • Keep your ear, shoulder and hip in alignment over your back knee.

Lunges are relatively challenging but really important to do. Because if you think about a lunge, it is simply our ability to get back up from the floor independently.

If you’re on your hands and knees, you place one foot in front and bring yourself into a standing position. That’s what a lunge prepares you to do and allows you to do.

forward lunge

Forward Lunge Exercise • Repeat

Let’s try again.

  • Let’s start.
  • Incorporate the breath this time.
  • Hands on the hips.
  • Breath in.
  • Exhale as you come forward.
  • And back.
  • Switch legs, breath in.
  • Exhale when you go forward.
  • And back.
  • I do have some clients that are a little concerned about their knees and concerned about being able to come up.
  • Using one chair is always an option.
  • Another option is to place a pillow or cushion in front of the leg that is going to be your trailing leg. For that purpose, I’m going to grab a piece of foam.
  • Place it right in front of your left foot.
  • That will be your trailing leg.
  • When you go forward, know you have the ability to just come down just to touch that foam.
  • If you don’t succeed, the worst that’s going to happen is on the foam, the cushion.
  • Okay.
  • And come back.

If you’re using a piece of foam to progress your lunge, then you may want to just stick to the same side for your first 10 to 12 reps and then switch the foam side for your next 10 to 12 reps.

So looking at it with the foam, breath in and back.

And that’s it for the forward lunge exercise.

forward lunge

Forward Lunge Exercise • Professional Tip

Forward Lunge Exercise • In Line • Athletic

The forward  Lunge in Line is designed to strengthen hamstrings, buttocks and quadriceps; and strengthen hips and spine. I demonstrate this exercise in this video. There is also a tip for professionals video below.

Forward Lunge Exercise • In Line • Instruction

The following are the instructions for the forward lunge exercise (in line) for athletic level.

When we’re using the forward lunge exercise on a line you can use a piece of thread if you want or just have an imaginary line in your head.

  • Start with your feet, two inches on outside of the line.
  • When you step forward onto the line, you are going to go two inches either inside to the right or two inches inside to the left.
  • Hands are on your hips.
  • Take a breath in and exhale.
  • Gently take your lower tummy as you come down, and then back into position.
  • Breathe in, gently tighten my lower tummy as you come down, and back into position.
  • With the forward lunge exercise, you take an exaggerated step forward, focus is on the back knee.
  • Take an exaggerated step forward.
  • Your focus is on the back knee.
  • The front usually will automatically bend.
  • If I focus on my back knee coming down, and keeping my ear, shoulder, hip, and knee in alignment, then I will have that success through the lunge, by taking the lunge onto a line and incorporating balance into it.

If you’re doing lunges on the line and you find it very easy, by all means you can start holding weights as well.

lunge in line

Forward Lunge Exercise • In Line • Professional Tip

Osteoporosis Exercise Plan

Visit my Osteoporosis Exercise Plan page for more information on this topic.

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