How To Lunge Properly: Are You Making These Common Mistakes?

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How do I lunge properly?

Dominik Rzadowski, master trainer at Anytime Fitness teaches lunges with his clients in training sessions. He said: “The way I always teach my clients to lunge is by asking them to step over an exercise mat with one leg (i.e. with the mat horizontal between your two legs).

“From there, stay in that position and then bend your knees - shifting the weight forward - ensuring a 90-degree angle of the front leg and back knee under the hip.”

That’s the lunge position. When you stand up, press the right heel into the ground to drive your body back up to standing. Then you swap legs to repeat the exercise on the other side.

What’s the correct position?

:: Knee positioned directly behind hip

:: 70 to 90 degrees of extension of the knees

:: Ensure your front shin is vertical

:: Make sure your knees are neutral (and aligned with the foot)

Common mistakes

Much like squats, Rzadowski said if you get the posture wrong with one body part, the others can follow suit. Often, he said he will tend to see someone’s rear foot collapse and turn out (to the right), which is a result of missing hip internal rotation.

Other common faults include:

:: Missing hip extension i.e. an inability to extend your hip as fully as you need to, which will lead to compensatory movements at other joints

:: Knee too far forward (should be aligned with the foot).

Lunge variations

If you’ve nailed the perfect lunge and want to make it a bit harder, you could:

:: Add a weight such as a barbell, dumbbell, kettlebell

:: Try walking lunges

:: Progress from a lunge into a superset, by performing a lunge followed by an overhead weight press in one movement

Move celebrates exercise in all its forms, with accessible features encouraging you to add movement into your day – because it’s not just good for the body, but the mind, too. We get it: workouts can be a bit of a slog, but there are ways you can move more without dreading it. Whether you love hikes, bike rides, YouTube workouts or hula hoop routines, exercise should be something to enjoy.

HuffPost UK / Rebecca Zisser

Before You Go

Six People Over 80 Giving Us Serious Fitness Goals

Sister Madonna Buder, 86(01 of06)

Sister Madonna Buder has earned the nickname ‘The Iron Nun’ having completed more than 40 Ironman races in the past 30 years.

She completed her first Ironman race - comprising of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run - in 1985, aged 65.

At 75, she became the oldest woman to ever complete an Ironman triathlon and at 82, she set a world record as the oldest Ironman triathlon competitor.

She says faith, listening to her body and maintaining a positive attitude to her physical endurance have enabled her to succeed. (credit:Nike)

Diana Green, 82(02 of06)

Not only did Diana Green survive breast cancer, but on her 82nd birthday she ran the 2016 London Marathon to raise money for cancer research.

Speaking to HuffPost UK before the race she said: “The crowds are so wonderful, they really spur you on. I’m excited to be starting in the VIP section and spying some celebs!”

What a hero. (credit:Diana Green)

Robert Marchand, 105(03 of06)

French cyclist Robert Marchand, aged 105, recently set a world record on his bike covering 14.08 miles in one hour.

Afterwards he said he would've beaten his time if he hadn't missed a sign telling him he had 10 minutes left to cycle.

"Otherwise I would have gone faster, I would have posted a better time," he told Associated Press. "I'm not tired." (credit:Jacky Naegelen / Reuters)

Jean Dawson, 100(04 of06)

At 100 years old, Jean Dawson is still a picture of health thanks to over 30 years of dedication to yoga.

She has been bending and twisting her body almost every single week for the past three decades.

“I really enjoy doing yoga," she said. "It has really changed my life and has helped cure aches and pains.

"I use to have trouble from a slipped disc in my back but doing yoga really helped me cope with it.” (credit:Lorne Campbell / Guzelian)

Ella Mae Colbert, 100(05 of06)

In May 2016, Ella Mae Colbert set a new world record for the 100-meter dash, just one week after her 100th birthday.

Colbert has been running track since her school days and despite falling on her first attempt, she smashed the previous record for 100-year-old runners (which was 1 minute 17 seconds) and crossed the finish line in 46.791 seconds. (credit:YouTube / Go Upstate)

Charles Eugster, 97(06 of06)

Dr Charles Eugster is a bodybuilder and sprinter who has set numerous world records in his age group for races ranging from 60 meters to 400 meters.

The 97-year-old, who refers to retirement as "one of the worst things that you can do to yourself", said he got into fitness late on in life.

According to Today.com, he began serious weight training when he was 87 and didn't start running until he turned 95.

"By the time you get to 85 you may have lost about 50 percent of your muscle mass and power, so I think it's extremely important in your older age to do everything you can to build muscle," he added. (credit:Harry Engels via Getty Images)