Fitness Lunges for Great Legs Free Exercises

Legs are sexy. Legs are functional. Most importantly, legs hold the key to our metabolism. Science has proven that more muscle burns more calories. The quickest way and perhaps the best way to loose weight with exercise is building the leg muscles.

Why? The longest and largest muscles in our body are in our legs.

Exercise professional know the value of this muscle group and squats and lunges are the top favorite exercises.

How to perform a lunge without hurting the knees? It is possible? Most certainly - it is all in the correct form. Journey with us as we see first hand the correct way to perform a lunge. Learn about different types of lunges. Most importantly, take your workout to the next level - with no equipment, completely free - lunges - do right in the comfort of your home or take a stroll to the park and map out a lunge routine in the comfort of Mother Nature. Whatever your choice, these top videos will give you a great start and it is my hope a great dose of motivation to get you moving.

Everything you need to know about lunges is covered in this article including:

• learn how to engage your core

• learn how to increase the intensity - with and without weights
  
• learn out to engage your inner thigh muscles
• learn 4 different types of lunges
• stationary, walking, diagonal, side step, ...
  

• Feet shoulder width apart.
• Hands on hips.
• Take extra large step forward.
• With back foot with weight on back toes and driving through the front heal.
  
• Take it to the next level - add hand weights.

The Key To a Great Start - BIG Step Forward

If you keep your stance very wide, you will prevent knee injuries.  The larger the step, the longer the stretch, the less possibility of having your knee over your toes.  Your toes must lead - look at the photos, view the video first.

Do not try a lunge until you fully understand this concept - it is critical to the protection of your knees.

Repetitions should be 20.  In body building competitions, often this is the lunge is the warm up exercise with very high repetition - not the treadmill.

Great lower body exercise for working the legs including the quadriceps (the muscles in the front of the leg), hamstrings (the muscle on the back of the leg) and the glutes (the buttock or dierrere).

• Quadriceps - largest muscle group in our body
  
• Hamstrings - the muscle that can pull and cause back pain
  
• Glutes - often forgotten but never overlooked
  
• Sartoris - longest muscle in our body
  

Michelle Tripp, Certified Personal Trainer, from Gold's Gym showcases a variety of different types of lunges and intensity levels.

Diagonal lunge will engage your core and inner thigh.

High reps - get your legs burning. 3-4 sets with 20 repetitions.

Drive off the heal.

Keep hands on hips to engage the core.

• Stationary Lunge
  
• Walking Lunge
• Diagonal Lunge
• Side Lunge

Cues: shoulders back, driving off the heal, core tight.

Hands on hips, don't use your hands for balance.

Side lunge - make the exercise harder by lifting your foot as you return.

Mastering the correct form is the hardest part. Lunges - if done properly are a skill.  You must have proper form for not just result but to prevent injury.  Improper form will result in serious knee injuries. 

For the first two weeks you will feel the burn. The results are amazing.

Once you have accomplished the proper form - take it to the next level by adding a dip - see the illustration to the right.

Lunges require no equipment - just your time and allot of effort. Hope to hear you are lunging daily.

Happy lunging!