THIS IS HOW WE DO… LATERAL LUNGES
They strengthen the booty & thigh of the working leg while stretching the inner thigh of the straight leg!
I luuuuuv me some lateral lunges! [The B Strong Fit Club is pretending to be surprised by that statement lol.] They strengthen the booty & thigh of the working leg while stretching the inner thigh of the straight leg.. & as you know, I also luuuv me some lengthen & strengthen action ;-) Here’s a 15sec demo video where I quickly break it all down, but I can only fit so much in a 15sec video, so read through my check list below for more guidance. [Oh & if you watch that video & wonder “wtf does she mean by ‘engage your core & lats’ & ‘hinge your hips’?!?!” lucky for you, I already wrote other posts about that! Just click on the topic you want some clarification about.]
The thing about any movement/exercise is that, without proper form, we tend to load tension into our spine, joints & tendons, [which is super uncomfortable & could lead to injury]. With proper form, we load tension into our muscles, which is how we create that good kinda discomfort - the muscle burn - that will help us build strength & get results!
Here’s what you need to do in order to make sure you’re loading your muscles so that you’re building strength, not creating tension that could cause you pain:
the foot that steps side is the knee that bends - the other leg stays completely straight
as you step side, hinge your hips: booty back, head forward, spine straight
if you hinge your hips correctly, your upper back shouldn’t round over, nor should your shoulders collapse down in front of your chest
hinging your hips while keeping your abdominals engaged also keeps your lower back from arching & your rib cage from “puffing out” excessively
sticking your hips back for the hip hinge will also load the heel of your foot that you stepped on - which is great for working the booty
if your knee is poking forward excessively/you feel the majority of your weight shifting into your toes, stick your butt back farther!!
drive through the heel of your foot [of the knee that’s bent], to initiate standing back up again. Push the ground away with power & move with enough speed to give you the momentum to move that foot back beside the other & stand all the way upright again
As always, email me with any questions! [And keep in mind that pictures/videos are super helpful if you’re looking for guidance on form.]