A lunge can refer to any position of the human body where one leg is positioned forward with knee bent and foot flat on the ground while the other leg is positioned behind. It is used by athletes in

cross-training Cross-training is athletic training in sports other than the athlete's usual sport. The goal is improving overall performance. It takes advantage of the particular effectiveness of one training method to negate the shortcomings of another. In gen ...

for sports, by weight-trainers as a fitness exercise, and by practitioners of

yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...

as part of an

asana An āsana (Sanskrit: आसन) is a body posture, originally and still a general term for a sitting meditation pose,Verse 46, chapter II, "Patanjali Yoga sutras" by Swami Prabhavananda, published by the Sri Ramakrishna Math p. 111 and late ...

regimen.

In contrast to the split squat exercise, during the lunge the rear leg is also activated.

Strength training

Lunges are a good exercise for strengthening, sculpting and building several muscles/muscle groups, including the

quadriceps The quadriceps femoris muscle (, also called the quadriceps extensor, quadriceps or quads) is a large muscle group that includes the four prevailing muscles on the front of the thigh. It is the sole extensor muscle of the knee, forming a large ...

(or thighs), the

gluteus maximus The gluteus maximus is the main extensor muscle of the hip in humans. It is the largest and outermost of the three gluteal muscles and makes up a large part of the shape and appearance of each side of the hips. It is the single largest muscle in ...

(or buttocks) as well as the

hamstrings A hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in human anatomy between the hip and the knee: from anatomical_terms_of_location#Medial_and_lateral, medial to anatomical_terms_of_location#Medial_and_lateral, lateral, the semimembra ...

. A long lunge emphasizes the use of the gluteals whereas a short lunge emphasizes the quadriceps. The lunge is a basic movement that is fairly simple to do for beginner athletes. A lunge can be performed using bodyweight alone. However, weight trainers may seek to increase the difficulty using either

dumbbell The dumbbell, a type of free weight, is a piece of equipment used in weight training. It is usually used individually and/or in pairs, with one in each hand. History The forerunner of the dumbbell, halteres, were used in ancient Greece as li ...

s or

kettlebells In weight training, a kettlebell is a cast-iron or Steel casting, cast-steel ball with a handle attached to the top, resembling a cannonball with a handle. It is used to perform a range of Exercise, exercises; primarily Ballistic training, ball ...

held in each hand, or a

barbell A barbell is a piece of exercise equipment used in weight training, bodybuilding, Olympic weightlifting, weightlifting, powerlifting and strongman, consisting of a long bar, usually with weights attached at each end. Barbells range in length ...

held atop the neck and shoulders.

Grip strength Grip strength is the force applied by the hand to pull on or suspend from objects and is a specific part of hand strength. Optimum-sized objects permit the hand to wrap around a cylindrical shape with a diameter from to . Stair rails are an examp ...

may be an issue with the dumbbell lunge so practitioners may prefer the barbell lunge. As a variation,

plyometric Plyometrics, also known as jump training or plyos, are exercises in which muscles exert maximum force in short intervals of time, with the goal of increasing power (speed-strength). This training focuses on learning to move from a muscle exten ...

lunges (also known as split squat jumps) can be performed by jumping explosively between lunge positions. With resistance training it's not recommended to do forward lunges in place, this is due to the

shear force In solid mechanics, shearing forces are unaligned forces acting on one part of a Rigid body, body in a specific direction, and another part of the body in the opposite direction. When the forces are Collinearity, collinear (aligned with each ot ...

it can place on the rear knee once the front leg no longer provides support.

Yoga

Modern yoga includes several lunge-related

s such as the Virabhadrasana warrior poses I and II, and others whose names vary in different yoga traditions. Examples of

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

names include

Anjaneyasana Anjaneyasana (), Crescent Moon Pose, or Ashva Sanchalanasana (Equestrian Pose) is a lunging back bending asana in modern yoga as exercise. It is sometimes included as one of the asanas in the Surya Namaskar sequence, though usually with arms d ...

(

Anjaneya Hanuman (; , ), also known as Maruti, Bajrangabali, and Anjaneya, is a deity in Hinduism, revered as a divine ''vanara'', and a devoted companion of the deity Rama. Central to the ''Ramayana'', Hanuman is celebrated for his unwavering devotio ...

's pose), Ashwa Sanchalanasana (equestrian pose), and Ardha Mandalasana (half circle pose). Depending on the lineage and circumstances, the back knee can be down or up, the toes may be tucked or untucked, and the arms may be in any number of positions. Lunges are often incorporated into

Surya Namaskar Sun Salutation, also called Surya Namaskar or Salute to the Sun (, ), is a practice in yoga as exercise incorporating a flow sequence of some twelve linked asanas. The asana sequence was first recorded as yoga in the early 20th century, though s ...

, a flowing sequence of asanas used as a warm-up and in vinyasa styles of yoga to connect asanas into aerobic exercise sequences.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lunge (Exercise) Weight training exercises Bodyweight exercises Surya Namaskar Asymmetric asanas

Strength training

Yoga

See also

References