Bulgarian lunges - an exercise to work out the muscles of the legs. This exercise has been adopted by many professional athletes, since it can be used to load almost the entire array of leg muscles: the front of the thigh, buttocks, hamstrings and adductors. Of course, each variation has its own technical subtleties.
This exercise is recommended for all athletes who are not contraindicated in the axial load on the spine, since with its help you can achieve really serious success in gaining muscle mass.
In this article, we will tell you how to do Bulgarian attacks correctly, what they give and how you can replace them.
What muscles work?
Depending on the position of the foot, the distance between the front and back legs, the height of the bench on which the back leg is located, and the angle of inclination of the body, the Bulgarian lunges involve:
- quadriceps;
- gluteal muscles;
- the back of the thigh;
- adductor muscles.
The extensors of the spine and abdominal muscles act as stabilizers in movement.
The benefits and harms of exercise
The benefits of the Bulgarian lunges are obvious: it is an excellent exercise for complex workout of the leg muscles. It is suitable both for men who want to achieve developed muscular legs and for young girls who just want to keep themselves in good shape and not gain excess weight.
Bulgarian attacks do not carry any particular potential harm. Isolated cases when athletes were injured while performing them are associated with their own carelessness and excessive self-confidence.
The cause of injury can be: excessively large working weight, improper exercise technique, lack of stretching for comfortable performance.
However, do not forget that the exercise still contains some element of axial load on the spine. Therefore, you should not get carried away here with large working weights - this way you will overload the articular-ligamentous apparatus, already tired from basic exercises. People who have had an umbilical hernia are advised to use an athletic belt when performing Bulgarian lunges, as with other leg exercises.
Technique for performing lunges
Let's take a closer look at certain types of Bulgarian attacks:
- with a barbell;
- with dumbbells;
- and in the Smith machine.
All of them take place in the training of athletes with well-developed leg muscles.
Barbell lunges
Bulgarian barbell lunges are performed as follows:
- Place a barbell on your shoulders and stand with your back forward in front of a bench, jump box, or similar apparatus. The height of the projectile should be just below the knee. Place one foot on the bench. The further the front leg is moved away from the bench, the more the hamstrings and glutes will work. The shorter the distance, the more the quadriceps will be loaded. If you put your leg straight, then the load will fall into the front of the thigh, if you turn it at 45 degrees or a little more, the adductor muscles of the thigh will also be included in the work. We keep our back vertically straight, try not to make even a slight forward bend. The back should be perfectly straight, the chest is slightly upward, the gaze is directed forward.
- Lunge with your front foot. We use the back leg to maintain balance. The range of motion should be full, at the lowest point we try to touch the calf muscles with the biceps of the thigh. This requires a good stretch.
- We return to the starting position by exhaling. In order not to relax the working muscles at the top point, we try not to extend the knee at the top and not go through the last 5-10 centimeters of amplitude. So the muscles will respond much better to the load. After you have done the planned number of repetitions with one leg, switch your legs.
- The most important thing in this exercise is to maintain correct core position and concentrate on the working muscles. If you are rocked from side to side while lifting, then the working weight is too heavy. Reduce weight and increase reps. In Bulgarian barbell lunges, you should work at least 12 repetitions on each leg.
Dumbbell lunges
Bulgarian lunges with dumbbells are recommended as follows:
- Take dumbbells and place one leg on the bench. By working with dumbbells, you can shift the load to the back of the thigh. To do this, you need to bring the dumbbells forward a little and bend over, leaning forward slightly. This will increase your range of motion and allow you to stretch your hamstrings more, such as with the Romanian Barbell Deadlift.
- We do the lunge ourselves in the same way, just do not forget about the constant slight forward bend. We recommend doing this exercise with barbells to avoid overloading your hamstrings. The movement itself essentially consists of several: first we make a slight forward bend and "stretch" forward to stretch the back of the thigh, and only then we begin to bend the knee and lunge. The main thing is not to round your back when bending forward and not try to take the monstrous weight of the dumbbell.
- You can do Bulgarian lunges with dumbbells and without bending forward, keeping your back upright, straight, as with ordinary Bulgarian lunges with a barbell. However, it will be much more difficult for you to balance there. If you want to pump up your quadriceps, then instead of Bulgarian lunges with dumbbells, it is better to step with dumbbells on a box or bench, in this exercise it will be much easier for you to maintain balance and focus on the work of the desired muscles.
Smith lunges
Another variation of this exercise is the Bulgarian Smith lunges. They are done as follows:
- Decide which muscle group you want to maximize. If the quadriceps, then the front leg should be located directly under the bar, then the load will target the drop-shaped bundle of the quadriceps. This is especially true for those athletes whose legs are asymmetrically developed and resemble carrots in shape. The bench is placed about half a meter in front of the machine. If you want to use the gluteus muscles more, then we bring the front leg a little forward, and the bench is placed almost under the bar. The range of motion will be slightly less, but the buttocks will be under constant tension.
- The technical principles are the same as in other types of Bulgarian lunges: inhale while going down, exhale while lifting. Bulgarian lunges in Smith are convenient in that you do not need to pay much attention to the position of the back and you can fully focus on the contraction and extension of the working muscle groups.
How to replace Bulgarian attacks?
The Bulgarian barbell or dumbbell lunges are great exercises for building muscle mass in your legs and giving them a balanced shape. However, it is not suitable for everyone. It can be difficult for people who have suffered injuries to the ankle and feet to properly balance with the back leg - there is some discomfort in the ligaments.
It is best to replace this exercise with classic lunges - their biomechanics are almost the same. Also, a good solution would be to replace them with walking on a bench with dumbbells or with a barbell and lunges with a barbell to the sides. And, of course, don't forget about the base.
Heavy squats, deadlifts, and leg presses are what you need to build muscle. With exercises such as lunges, bending and extension of the legs in the simulator or various kinds of jumps, we only "finish off" the muscles already tired in basic movements in order to create even more serious stress for their further growth.
Crossfit complexes with exercise
Below are several functional complexes that you can try on your next workout. The complexes are designed for experienced athletes, it is better for unprepared beginners to choose something easier.
