Tight trunk
■Although the lunge is primarily
alower-bodymove,thefactthe
weight is on your back puts the
force through your trunk. “The
tighter you can keep your trunk,
themorestableyouwillfeeland
themorepowerfulyouwill
become,”saysWright.“Tryto
make yourself as tall as you can,
pulling your abs in and shoulders
back, then lunge forwards.
Shortlungeswillloadthequads,
whereasalongerstridewill
place emphasis on the hamstrings
andglutes.Ifyourankleisflexed
andyourknee’sforwardsyou
areloadingthefrontoftheleg,
ifnotthenyou’reworking your
posterior chain.”Reverse to progress
■If the standard lunge is rare then
the reverse lunge is virtually an
endangered species. Doing the
move in reverse has a host of
benefits, including improving your
proprioception (your body’s ability
tosenseitsownposition,develop
balance and co-ordinate
movements). “If you struggle with
lungesitmaybetodowithtight
hip flexors or ankles, so the reverse
lunge is a great progression,” says
Wright. “The same principles apply
butitallowsyoutodropyourhips
backwards and step back up,
which will help you to improve up
to the full walking lunge.”Takealonglunge
■Doinganyformoflungewill
helpto improve your athletic
ability because it’s a heavy
compound exercise that involves
an unstable unilateral movement.
Thereare,however,waysyoucan
performitsothatyougetan
elite-level benefit. “To develop
powerandspeedIperformlonger
lunges and drive up through my
front heel, engaging my glutes,”
Wright says. “Without stopping at
the top I allow my hips to continue
forwardinanaturalarcintothe
next lunge. This is much more like
a natural gait when running, and it
helpskeeptensioninthecoreand
build strength and power.”APRIL 2017 MEN’S FITNESS 65PERFECT FORM
Stand with a barbell
resting on the back of
your shoulders. Retract
your shoulder blades
and keep your back
upright and core braced
throughout. Take a big
step forwards and lower
your body until both
knees are bent at 90 ̊
before pushing back
off your front foot to
return to the start
position. your weight
on your heels as you
drive back up.04.Lunge
TARGE T SQUADS, GLUTES AND HAMSTRINGS
Thebarbelllungeisan
excellent lower-body
builder because it allows
youtoapplyheavyloads
ontoasinglelegina
dynamic movement.
“This exercise has many
variations and can be
used to target many
different muscles of
the lower body,” says
Wright.“Itisoneof
themostunder-
used movements for
developing athletic
ability.”
“This can be used
to target many
different muscles
of the lower body.”