I'd start by making sure your form is good. That you're upright and not leaning forward, that your feet are not in line with each other, etc. Then I'd start looking at what exactly is your problem areas. Usual things that can help are glute bridges, hip flexor stretching, and possibly some abduction and adduction work. Wall sits might help, so might physioball leg curls, so might some ham and quad stretching. Birddogs, fire hydrants … mainly prolly glute and hip work. That's where I'd guess most people's issues stem from.
You don't know his goals. Perhaps he is involved in some kind of sport. Lunges can be very beneficial for most sports. And have you ever performed some really hard sets of walking lunges? You can perform all the frontsquats you want your adductors will be toast.
One thing that specifically helped me on lunge like motions was hip flexor streching, specifically the rectus femoris.
Is there a non-retarded (non bosu ball) way to improve balance for single leg work like lunges? I just plain don't have very good balance. It makes lunges and things like bulgarian split squats more difficult.
When you do lunges, do you try to follow a straight line?
Had an Aha Erlebnis when someone explained (Galya said it first) how you should do lunges as if you're following a narrow railroad track or better yet, a langlauf track.
You don't put one foot right in front of the other but keep them parallel of each other.
Reverse (walking) lunges are indeed a good idea as well. By walking backwards, your momentum is such that your torso will stay more upright than when you walk forwards which makes some people lean forwards automatically.. (you know who you are)
You don't know his goals. Perhaps he is involved in some kind of sport. Lunges can be very beneficial for most sports. And have you ever performed some really hard sets of walking lunges? You can perform all the frontsquats you want your adductors will be toast.
Yea, hence me saying "...then again you may have injuries, etc..."
Since you clearly lack in reading comprehension, "etc" is short for Et Cetera, a latin phrase which means "and other things" or "and so forth". Those other things could be different training goals.
Also, believe it or not, my abductors get toasted from back squatting, but I do all stances.
Anyway, do stiff-legged deadlifts (to strengthen hams), front squats (to strengthen quads), heavy calf raises, and practice your form.
I don't know why you even need lunges; all you need for quads is front and back squats (then again you may have injuries, etc).
I am doing the lunges to help shape my butt
I ain't gonna lie, I have a big hindend and it is still proportionally large no matter how much weight I lose. I want to sort of 'bring it up and tighten it'.
At the moment, when I walk down the street it looks like two cats fighting in a burlap sack. I dream of one day it being more pleasant than that.
I will say though that I have very strong calf muscles and can do squats well, so if this will help the butt, I will be one happy camper.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mabe
You don't know his goals. Perhaps he is involved in some kind of sport. Lunges can be very beneficial for most sports. And have you ever performed some really hard sets of walking lunges? You can perform all the frontsquats you want your adductors will be toast.
Her goals are the same as mentioned above.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Espi
When you do lunges, do you try to follow a straight line?
Had an Aha Erlebnis when someone explained (Galya said it first) how you should do lunges as if you're following a narrow railroad track or better yet, a langlauf track.
You don't put one foot right in front of the other but keep them parallel of each other.
Reverse (walking) lunges are indeed a good idea as well. By walking backwards, your momentum is such that your torso will stay more upright than when you walk forwards which makes some people lean forwards automatically.. (you know who you are)
I do tend to do the lean forward thing. Actually I have to focus on form with every part of the movement, because it is so freakin' hard.
I have watched all types of youtube videos, and I think I have a good concept of the basics. But ultimately knowledge without ability is not worth a heckofalot
__________________
***********************
If you weren't born drop dead gorgeous, be thankful for the opportunity to develop character first.
PROTIP: I get a lot of flack for having a butt (good flak, mind), and all I've done is back squats (and a little front squats), since Lunges are boring and non-hardcore (lawl).
However, I always feel that back squats work my ass, medialis and lateralus more than anything else, so it may just be my genetics.
I ain't gonna lie, I have a big hindend and it is still proportionally large no matter how much weight I lose. I want to sort of 'bring it up and tighten it'.
Generally, if you train a muscle, it gets bigger.
I think almost any lowerbody work is going to have a positive effect on your lunge. squats, deads, rackpulls, split squats etc.
Is it a strength issue or a balance issue or both?
If your front knee caves to the center line, you need to work on pushing it out (engage glute medius). General strengthing will help that but so will activations like x-band walks or clamshells. You can also put a band on the forward knee and exert side pressure so that you actively push against it during the movement.
If it is a balance issue, you can try normal balance exercises - stand on one foot -->& move head side to side-->& close eyes-->& move head with eyes closed.
You can also do them next to a bench or wall or cage and just brush/touch the helping object with the outside of your hand -
If it seems like you just can't get back up - concentrate on pushing thru the front heel.
__________________ 'I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day. ' ~Frank Sinatra
WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may create the illusion that you are tougher,
smarter, faster and better looking than most people.
Is it a strength issue or a balance issue or both?
If your front knee caves to the center line, you need to work on pushing it out (engage glute medius). General strengthing will help that but so will activations like x-band walks or clamshells. You can also put a band on the forward knee and exert side pressure so that you actively push against it during the movement.
Have X-Band walks and clamshells really helped anybody? I know some people do them but I've yet to here somebody say "I added clamshells and suddenly all my leg problems are gone."
And I don't belief that it's all about the glute medius. Just look at how the leg is positioned during a squat or lunge. Shouldn't form example the sartorius have a pretty gut ability to pull the knee into the right position here?
The tip to put a band on the forward knee is a really good one. It makes you constantly aware of your knee position and - at least in my experience - speeds up learning the right motor patterns.
@fulmen:
Quote:
Hopefully I can help; however, I've never had any mobility issues and have always been able to squat ass to damn ankles (lol).
Anyway, do stiff-legged deadlifts (to strengthen hams), front squats (to strengthen quads), heavy calf raises, and practice your form.
I don't know why you even need lunges; all you need for quads is front and back squats (then again you may have injuries, etc).
OK, English is not my mother tongue, but do I really lack reading comprehension? All you can know from the original post is that this person wants to get better at lunges. If somebody asks you how to get better at lunges and you have to say is "I don't know why you even need lunges" than you probably aren't helping this person by than randomly recommending squats which she already is good at as she clearly states in the first post.
... OK, English is not my mother tongue, but do I really lack reading comprehension? All you can know from the original post is that this person wants to get better at lunges. If somebody asks you how to get better at lunges and you have to say is "I don't know why you even need lunges" than you probably aren't helping this person by than randomly recommending squats which she already is good at as she clearly states in the first post.
No, it's not you, he's just being a schwanzkopf, something he does ocassionally and much too often lately for some reason. I usually ignore him until he actually has something helpful or constructive to say without the 'brotard' attitude.
Most times when I've seen an inability to improve on lunges, it is tied to an inability to plant and roll the foot properly. Women who wear heels often, men who walk pigeon-toed, people who are very noticeably kyphotic... it's usually easy to tell ahead of time. If it's not outright ankle immobility, the classic tight hip-flexors/external hip rotators issue often makes foot placement difficult in that stretched position.
Of course, you have to be sure that you are bracing the abs - especially in the "down" position. Otherwise you are just fighting your own shifting bodyweight.
That was the key for me. I had knee pain from lunges, until I did alot of reverse lunges. Then I understood the pattern, weight distribution, etc. a lot better.
"Squat! Squat Deep! A Deep Squat can cure anything!" The Robotic Avatar of Mark Rippetoe!
As for the larger hind quarters, do you have a sense of why this is? In other words.....whats back there? Is it muscle? Is that jus tthe last place where those fat cells retreat and hide until armegeddon is upon them? Or is it your bone structure?
I have a sister-in-law who just have big legs and a big bottom. It's not a bad thing, but it doesn't seem to matter what she does. I've seen her sit on a couch for 6 months and crach diet and still have huge legs. I've seen her run for hours...still huge legs. Competitive tennis, etc....doesn't matter. I guess it's just genetic for some folks. But, don't think that it's unattractive! I'm sure there are some men who like bony chicken legs, but I think the majority of men dislike skinny legs.
I had to come to this conclusion about my waist. I just have a wide bone structure and no matter how much fat I lose I'm not going to get a thinner waist. maybe if I dropped down to 8% body fat I'd lose another inch or so. But, really it's mostly bone and muscle there. The only way that I'm getting a thinner (in appearance anyway) waist is to get a bigger back, and bigger quads! And putting weight on my chicken legs has always been difficult. Too many years of long distance running took whatever muscle I used to have.
That was the key for me. I had knee pain from lunges, until I did alot of reverse lunges. Then I understood the pattern, weight distribution, etc. a lot better.
"Squat! Squat Deep! A Deep Squat can cure anything!" The Robotic Avatar of Mark Rippetoe!
As for the larger hind quarters, do you have a sense of why this is? In other words.....whats back there? Is it muscle? Is that jus tthe last place where those fat cells retreat and hide until armegeddon is upon them? Or is it your bone structure?
I have a sister-in-law who just have big legs and a big bottom. It's not a bad thing, but it doesn't seem to matter what she does. I've seen her sit on a couch for 6 months and crach diet and still have huge legs. I've seen her run for hours...still huge legs. Competitive tennis, etc....doesn't matter. I guess it's just genetic for some folks. But, don't think that it's unattractive! I'm sure there are some men who like bony chicken legs, but I think the majority of men dislike skinny legs.
I had to come to this conclusion about my waist. I just have a wide bone structure and no matter how much fat I lose I'm not going to get a thinner waist. maybe if I dropped down to 8% body fat I'd lose another inch or so. But, really it's mostly bone and muscle there. The only way that I'm getting a thinner (in appearance anyway) waist is to get a bigger back, and bigger quads! And putting weight on my chicken legs has always been difficult. Too many years of long distance running took whatever muscle I used to have.
Yeah, at a certain point, genetics make the final call. Honestly, the best thing you can do is drop whatever fat you can, develop some nice muscle (however much you think is good) and then dress to flatter your shape. Some people end up looking like Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie when they do that... but most of us just look "fit". The good thing is that 99% of the people I know find the "fit" people plenty attractive enough!
And I'm with Chaddukes as a member of the "Anti-Chicken-Leg-Chicas" Society.
As for the larger hind quarters, do you have a sense of why this is? In other words.....whats back there? Is it muscle? Is that jus tthe last place where those fat cells retreat and hide until armegeddon is upon them? Or is it your bone structure?
I have a sister-in-law who just have big legs and a big bottom. It's not a bad thing, but it doesn't seem to matter what she does. I've seen her sit on a couch for 6 months and crach diet and still have huge legs. I've seen her run for hours...still huge legs. Competitive tennis, etc....doesn't matter. I guess it's just genetic for some folks. But, don't think that it's unattractive! I'm sure there are some men who like bony chicken legs, but I think the majority of men dislike skinny legs.
My butt is actually fairly muscular as far as that goes. It's entirely genetic and is in proportion to my legs and such. The thing I really don't 'love' is that my butt is flat and I would like it to be a bit rounder. My butt doesn't 'jiggle' and it's not all dimply or anything (TMI, I know)
It kinda looks like God made me and then set me on my back to 'dry' and it flattened my butt that way.
As for my legs/thighs, they are big, but are usually considered my best feature, specifically my calves. It is genetic as well, but honestly I have total strangers that come up to me and ask me what exercises I do to get my legs looking the way they do.
And that is true whether I am currently 'in shape' or not.
Anyway, I did the reverse lunges the other day and woke up the next morning and my first thought was "YES! My butt is sore!" LOL
__________________
***********************
If you weren't born drop dead gorgeous, be thankful for the opportunity to develop character first.
I was listening to a podcast the other day and the speaker was saying that if you make someone's low back tired and sore with a workout they'll be unhappy but if you make their abs so sore they can't move they'll thank you for a great workout. And with women - if you can make their butt sore they'll say you're a workout genius.
What is a good exercise to help with lunges?
Linear Mode
