It seems that 1998 is the year of the "buns". Every time I turn on the television there is some other informercial touting the latest contraption that can (in less than three minutes) firm and tone your glutes.
When
talking to most trainers (especially female trainers) the lunge seems to be the exercise of choice.
So let's examine the lunge.
There is the walking lunge, the stationary lunge, the side lunge, airphysio discount (
click through the following internet site) the dynamic lunge, the barbell lunge, the dumbell lunge, the backward lunge, the Smith machine lunge, the forward lunge and the step lunge.
Which is best?
If you think about it, the lunge is nothing more than a one-legged squat. Your other leg is just helping out for balance. Then why do so many people "feel it" in their other leg? Well, we know the rectus femoris is a two- joint muscle. It not only crosses the knee but the hip as well. The majority of activities we do as humans are in a seated position: driving, sitting at a desk or watching TV.
So, when we put our clients in this extreme hip extension, the rectus femoris starts "talking" to them. But we all know the real "work" is done by the front leg.
Since we are standing on one leg, then stabilizing the pelvis is going to be more challenging. Instead of two struts (your legs) spread apart with a wide base, the majority of the weight is now being supported by one strut, over a very narrow base of support.
The same goes for the foot and ankle. Is your client able to stabilize their foot and ankle or are they wobbling all over the place?
Is it better to destroy their hip and ankle joint in order to firm up their glutes?
Here are some things to consider:
The walking lunge:
The walking lunge:
The barbell lunge:
If you're going to have clients perform any kind of lunging with a load and there is any kind of forward motion, you better have a specific reason for doing so;
The dumbbell lunge:
The step Lunge:
The side Lunge:
The dynamic Lunge:
The backward lunge:
The stationary lunge:
The Smith machine lunge:
Don't forget to demonstrate the safety collars to your client.
