Lunges Exercise Benefits

Lunges Exercise Benefits

Benefits of Lunges and Squats

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Do you want to have a perfectly fit body, but then are not into lifting heavy weights? Wondering if there is any exercise routine that can give you an overall fitness and improve your strength? Then there is one workout that can give you exactly what you want. But before talking about that, first let’s understand what are the mistakes we usually do.

Whenever we exercise, our main aim is to tone our muscles and achieve overall fitness. However, there are some parts of our body that we tend to ignore during our routine workouts. We generally neglect the inner and outer thighs while we work the other muscles of our body. Many of us don’t even realize the importance of toning these muscles – they stay mostly hidden, after all! But it is crucial to tone up these muscles as well. The toning up of these muscles would not only make them look appealing, but would also promote hip stability, boost our athletic performance and add to the overall thigh mass. And the one exercise that can help achieve all this is the lunges.

Doing lunges is a great way to develop thigh muscles and strengthen the hips. They concentrate on two sets of muscles; one on the hip extensors and the second on the knee extensors. The movement in lunges is quite similar to that in squatting. However, while performing lunges one gets a wider range of motion and better stress on the muscles.

Types Of Lunges:

Lunges can broadly be categorized into two kinds:

1. Stationary Lunges
2. Walking Lunges

Walking lunges routine is considered better than stationary lunges as it uses all the leg and thigh muscles. Here is a comparison between the two types of lunges:

Stationary Lunges:

The stationary lunge involves a downward movement in which there is a strong eccentric contraction of the hams, quads and glutes. This ensures that the entire weight of the body falls on the forward leg. The leg that trails (the backward leg) provides better balance and support to the body. During the upward movement, both the legs take the pressure to push the body back in the standing position.

Walking Lunges:

In the walking lunge, the downward movement remains the same with exactly the same pressure being put on all the leg and thigh muscles. However, the upward movement is different in this form of lunges. All the focus is put on the forward leg with all the muscles of the forward leg contracting maximally in the attempt to stand straight again. One needs stability while performing this exercise. This is why not much pressure is applied on the rear leg muscles in this lunge workout.

Walking lunges don’t work rear leg muscles that well. That is why it is important to perform stationary lunges at regular intervals along with walking lunges.

Benefits Of Walking Lunges:

Walking lunges are said to be a better form of lunges when compared to stationary lunges due to the impact they have on the leg and thigh muscles. However, apart from this, there are a few other benefits of walking lunges that you should be aware of:

1. Improved Balance:

A workout based on lunges works both sides of the body, making it a unilateral exercise. This improves the balance and coordination of one’s body. Exercises like squats and dead-lifts can never provide similar results.

2. Boosts Functionality:

Walking lunges train the body in such a way that its functionality improves many folds. They also help one acquire a better body posture.

3. Symmetrical Toning:

Since walking lunges concentrate on the ignored parts of the body, these help one achieve a symmetrically toned body. Walking lunges workout takes care of body part that other exercises overlook!

4. Boosts Hip Flexibility:

Walking lunges boost the flexibility of the hip flexor muscles, which tend to become tight due to the sedentary lifestyle we lead every day. Apart from stretching exercises, lunges are a remarkable way to bring some flexibility to the hip and thigh muscles.

5. Toning Of Gluteal Muscles:

The gluteal muscles are mostly left unutilized during our regular workouts. By performing walking lunges, one can focus on their activation and mobilize them with regular practice.

6. Improved Core Stability:

If weight lifting is not your cup of tea, but you would still like to boost the stability of your core muscles, then walking lunges are a great way of doing so. These exercises strengthen the core muscles with their up and down motion.

7. Rest For The Spine:

While most forms of exercise would leave your back strained, walking lunges tend to provide rest and recovery to your spine. If you are into heavy workouts and weight training, walking lunges can be the perfect way to rest your spine.

There are some other forms of lunges that can be practiced with equipment like dumbbells, etc. However, it is recommended that before you move on to those kinds of lunges, you practice and master the basic form. This would make you and your body ready for the other forms. If required, you can also seek help and training from a professional fitness expert to make sure that you perform the lunges properly.

Lunges may seem like such a basic exercise! But the reality is that lunges, especially walking lunges, can give your body a good workout. So, if you are planning your workout regimen, make sure lunges form a part of it. We suggest you talk to an expert and create a workout plan that works best for you.

All bodies are different. And that is why we need different exercises for our varied body types. But walking lunges exercise can work for almost everybody. So, whether you are a beginner or an expert, lunges can help you!

Does your workout regimen involve lunges? What muscles do you work with lunges? What other exercises do you recommend for working and toning the inner thigh muscles? Share with us in the comments section below!