Red Deer Life - March 19, 2006

With only a few days to go before the official start of spring I find myself anticipating the warmer days in hopes of enjoying the warm fresh air and the chance for outdoor activity. While we're confined indoors maybe the incorporation of a new exercise variation will distract us until the snow melts and new grass begins to appear. I thought we could talk about lunges. An excellent whole leg and lower body developer that many of us have some familiarity with. The lunge on its own is a great exercise, but be prepared for a whole new experience when you add a twisting variation. Many new muscles will come alive for the first time.

Let's begin by learning to lunge in place. Standing comfortably take a big step forward, about 1 ½-2 times normal walking distance. Settling the foot flat on the floor you are now in a straddle position. Elevate the heel of your back foot by shifting your weight forward at the hips slightly. Both toes should be pointed directly ahead of you while the heel of the back foot is now off the floor. From this position we will perform our lunge by bending the knees, descending at the hips until the knee almost touches the floor. It's important to note that our forward knee should never go past our toes during the movement. You might begin by lunging by a wall. You would place the toes of the front foot against the wall preventing your knee from going past this point during the movement. At the bottom of the movement you should feel the stretch in the quads, glutes and hamstrings. Now return to the start position and let's make it more interesting.
This time holding a small medicine ball high overhead (we start with 4lb ball or if you are working out a home a heavy book will work fine also). Start again by taking a large step forward with one foot to our straddle position. As you descend this time we will add a twisting motion with your ball. You are going to perform a large circular motion keeping arms straight bringing the ball down in a circle back to the hip of the extended leg. You should concentrate on twisting the shoulders and the torso and keeping your hands flat on the ball. The idea is utilizing the core muscles to maintain balance as you shift the weight throughout the movement. From the bottom of the movement with the knee almost touching the floor and the ball now at your side on the hip bone return to the start position again reaching with the ball in a circular motion and back overhead. Complete for sets of 12-15 repetitions and then perform on the other side. Not only is this variation a great lower body developer but will also help strengthen the abs and torso leading to better posture and even an improved golf swing. Spring, golf, grass and the great outdoors, I can hardly wait!
You may view my website for a photos and further information about performing this exercise and many others.