Dumbbell lunges

Dumbbell Lunges are a basic exercise for developing the muscles of the legs and buttocks, popular in CrossFit. The material is advisory in nature for those who want to learn how to do lunges with dumbbells correctly. Today we will look at the technique of performing lunges with dumbbells and tell you how to use this simple exercise to create a serious load for the buttocks.

Features of the exercise

Lunges with dumbbells are a powerful tool for building beautiful and elastic buttocks, and in this exercise, the load can be shifted to the quadriceps and hamstrings.

Lunges can be done with dumbbells or with a barbell, but there are no significant differences in technique between these varieties, choose the one that is more convenient for you to perform in your gym.

If you have a good dumbbell row at your disposal, then it will definitely be better to perform this exercise with dumbbells, since it will be more convenient for you to distribute the load and try to increase the working weight in the exercise with each new workout.

What's the point?

Lunges with dumbbells in hand are alternate steps with full swing squatting on the front leg. The wider we step, the more load the buttocks and hamstrings receive, the narrower, the more the quadriceps work. Thus, you can vary the load between these muscle groups depending on which muscles you want to work out in today's workout.

Benefit

The benefits of lunges with dumbbells are undeniable - no amount of leg abduction in the simulator or leg raises while lying on your stomach will not give such a positive result. Therefore, lunges are useful for both men who want to gain impressive muscle mass, and women whose goal is to build sexy buttocks and charm everyone around.

What muscles work?

Lunges with dumbbells in hand are an exercise for developing the hips and buttocks, but different variations of this movement will load certain areas of these muscles in different ways.

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Also important factors in load distribution are:

1. range of motion;
2. stride length.

Doing each rep at full amplitude, each time touching the back of your thighs to your calves and pausing briefly at the lowest point of the amplitude, puts more stress on your glutes. The wider you step on the dumbbell lunge, the harder your glutes and hamstrings work. Shorter strides put more stress on the quadriceps, in particular the medial bundle.

In all variations of the lunge, the extensors of the spine, the abdominal muscles and (to a lesser extent) the trapezius muscles act as stabilizing muscles.

Execution technique

How to do lunges with dumbbells correctly? It is believed that this is a very convenient exercise from the point of view of human anatomy, here we move along a comfortable trajectory for us, and it is almost impossible to get injured (of course, with the correct technique and work with moderate weights). There is absolutely no need to do this exercise with monstrous weights for 2-3 reps., you will not surprise anyone with this, you will not properly work out the necessary muscle groups, but you can cause irreparable harm to the body, in particular, to the articular-ligamentous apparatus.

Depending on what kind of exercise you perform in training, the exercise technique can vary in one direction or another. Don't be in a hurry; if the technique of some kind of lunges is not very good for you, start performing this exercise without weights and only then proceed to lunges with light dumbbells, gradually and systematically increasing the working weights. Therefore, all novice athletes should first remember the main aspects, without which not a single leg exercise can do, namely:

• Keep your back straight throughout the exercise;
• In the starting position, the legs are shoulder-width apart;
• We exhale for effort;
• We lean on the heel, stand on the whole foot with each step;
• We try to maintain a monotonous pace of steps throughout the entire approach, do not make sudden movements;
• We focus on muscle work; if during the exercise you feel discomfort in the joints or ligaments, then you are doing something wrong, and you should contact an experienced instructor to deliver the technique.

Video about the correct technique for performing forward lunges with dumbbells in your hands, analysis of typical beginner mistakes:

Now let's take a closer look at the most commonly performed types of lunges.

Forward lunges

The most common exercise in our cycle is forward lunges with dumbbells, in which the athlete moves forward alternately with each leg. Depending on the width of the stride, the load is distributed between the quadriceps and glutes.

Take a step about 60-80 cm long, lean on your entire foot and bend your knee at a right angle. In this case, the knee should not go beyond the line of the toes. It is important to walk strictly straight without turning the foot in or out in relation to the starting position, otherwise it will be difficult for you to maintain balance and the effectiveness of the exercise will decrease.

If you want to shift the focus from the glutes to the quadriceps, take shorter strides and try to "push" the front of the thigh as much as possible. The result will not be long in coming - any girl will be able to make progress in the volume of the buttocks in a few months.

Back lunges (reverse lunges)

This is a more advanced version of the exercise in which the athlete moves with his back forward. The exercise is complicated by the fact that we do not see where we are walking, and at the same time we look directly in front of us. Full mental concentration on the working muscles is required in order to better control the movement.

Start doing reverse lunges with shorter strides (about 30-40 cm), leaning first with your toe and then with your whole foot. In this variant, the load falls more on the drop-shaped head of the quadriceps. It is important to overcome the urge to look in the direction of movement when performing back lunges, as this will create an unwanted axial load on the cervical spine.

Side lunges (side lunges)

Dumbbell side lunges (or side lunges) are performed while standing in one place. In the starting position for side lunges, place your feet parallel, move your left leg as wide as possible to the left side, while fully extending your right leg, return to the starting position and take a step with your right foot to the right side. When placing the foot, the feet are at the same level as the knees.

With side lunges, the inner thigh works more, and a sense of balance and balance develops well, which is an important component in terms of the athlete's functional training.

Bulgarian lunges

Bulgarian lunges with dumbbells in hand are a type of exercise in which the athlete rests his back leg on a bench or other elevation. Therefore, to increase the intensity, we do not change our legs, but work first with one, then with the other leg.

Take a comfortable position, putting the toe of one foot on the bench, bring the other leg forward 50-60 cm.Perform the movement in full amplitude, while not extending the knee beyond the toe line, so you will feel a full contraction and extension of the hamstring, as well as good blood circulation buttocks. A great option for girls. The biomechanics of this type of exercise is similar to the biomechanics of pressing a platform with one leg with the highest setting, so you can alternate these two exercises as part of your training process.

Cross lunges (cross lunges)

The dumbbell cross lunge is more isolated and involves pushing the front leg in the opposite direction. Place your left leg at the level of the right shoulder, and your right leg at the level of the left shoulder, alternately changing legs, and do not forget about the position of the knee - in no case do not bring it inward.

Cross lunges develop the medial head of the quadriceps well, providing good blood supply to the working muscles due to the shortened range of motion.

You can see how cross dumbbell lunges are performed:

You should not dwell on only one option for attacks, each of them is useful and functional in its own way. Try all of the above variations of non-stop lunges in one set and you will be able to better understand the biomechanics of each movement, as well as give an unusual but very effective load on all muscles of the hips and buttocks. Wild burning in the muscles and crazy pumping due to isolated work and lack of rest between sets are guaranteed.

In addition, performing this exercise with dumbbells perfectly develops grip strength, since you have to keep the weight in your hands for quite a long time. Ligaments and tendons are well strengthened, and it will be easier for you to perform deadlifts or other heavy basic exercises without the use of wrist straps.

What are the alternatives to this exercise?

Dumbbell lunges are an effective exercise for your glutes and thighs and should not be ignored unless there is a good reason. If axial loading of the spine is contraindicated for you, try doing lunges in a hack machine or Smith machine. So you will not only protect the spine, but also work more isolated on the target muscle groups.

You can do walking on a box or other hill, the biomechanics of this movement and classic forward lunges are almost the same, and in terms of the effectiveness of striding, they are in no way inferior to lunges. Pay attention to the position of your body and do this exercise with your back straight, without leaning forward.

Pistol

Single-legged squats (pistol squats) can also replace cross lunges, but doing this exercise over a wide rep range will be harder for most athletes as single-legged squats require more control and a sense of balance.

Sissy squats

Sissy squats - a technically difficult and traumatic, but at the same time insanely effective exercise. We hold on to some support with our hands, direct the pelvis and knees forward, and we ourselves bend back as far as possible. We carry out the movement until the biceps of the thigh lies on the calf muscle, and the knees are as far as possible beyond the level of the socks. The peculiarity of this exercise is that here we do not lean on the heel or the entire foot, but on the toe. Huge range of motion, isolated and targeted workout of the quadriceps. If you don't want to do forward lunges or cross lunges, try doing sissy squats at the end of your leg workout when all the ligaments and muscles are already exhausted. Hard, painful, difficult, but effective.

Hopping on the box

Box jumps or spring jumps are less effective on the glutes and hips than classic lunges, but can be a great addition to forward lunges or cross lunges. Try multiple sets of lunges and spring jumps in a row without stopping for a great and functional cardio workout.

For beginners, it is best to do the exercise without additional weights. This will allow you to perform your lunges more technically, as you will not collapse under the weight of a dumbbell or barbell.

Training programs

Lunges with dumbbells often include both men and girls in their complexes.

Most popular programs:

Crossfit sets containing dumbbell lunges

The functional complexes listed below contain lunges with dumbbells and will not only contribute to the complex development of an athlete (strength, endurance, coordination, muscle mass gain, etc.), but will also significantly increase your energy costs during training.

Do not forget to eat right and recover, since it depends on whether you can show a truly champion result today. If you feel unwell of any kind, lack sleep, or simply do not feel in the best possible way, we recommend that you postpone these complexes until you are fully rejuvenated and replace them with something lighter.

Watch the video: Crossfit 101 - The Basics (November 2024).