Lunges are a great, staple exercise in most weightlifting programs (and for those looking to make their butt look nicer), but unfortunately many people do them wrong and/or get pain in their knees when they do them.
So, I want to share with you a safer, more effective variation that most people haven’t heard of…the reverse lunge. I use this variation with my patients all the time in their rehab programs and they love them as opposed to the traditional forward lunge.
Not only is this lunge variation safer on your knees, but it will also give you better results.
Why is it Safer on Your Knees?
It’s safer because it puts less stress across the knee joint – and this happens for a few reasons. First, the traditional forward lunge produces a lot of stress on the knee as you have to decelerate your body’s forward momentum – since the reverse lunge doesn’t produce any forward movement, this makes it less stressful.
Another way stress is reduced is due to the difference in angle of your upper body during a reverse lunge. It’s more upright compared to the forward lunge and this cause you to activate your glutes and hamstrings more (and not as much of the quads). This change in muscle activation produces less compressive forces on the knee.
The last reason the reverse lunge is safer is simply because it’s an easier technique to perform and, therefore, less likely to be performed incorrectly.
Why is it More Effective?
The main reason people do lunges is to improve their glute and hamstring strength…and appearance of their glutes (I’d be naive to think otherwise). And like I mentioned above, the reverse lunge activates your hamstrings and glutes more. Combine that with the fact that they are less stressful/painful – allowing you to load them up with more weight – and it’s easy to see how they will lead to better strength gains….and a nicer looking butt.
How to Perform a Reverse Lunge
Before you watch the video, I just want to tell you how you there are many ways you can load them up – dumbbells in each hand, barbell (in a squat rack), kettlebells, or just bodyweight. You pick which option you like best (personally, I prefer the barbell in the squat rack).
Here’s the video on how to perform it:.
[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TikgHxBsBRs[/embedyt]