The ONLY Way You Should Be Doing Lunges! (Build GREAT Legs)

Summary

In this Mine Pump TV video, Danny Matranga discusses the benefits of lunges for lower body training, emphasizing their ability to engage both anterior and posterior body muscles. He highlights proper form, including aligning the shoulder, hip, and knee, and maintaining a vertical shin position for even muscle recruitment. Matranga advises starting with stationary lunges to prevent knee pain and build strength before progressing to more advanced variations. He also stresses the importance of controlled tempo and proper breathing to ensure stability and safety during the exercise.

Takeaways

• 🏋️ The video focuses on the lunge exercise and its variations for lower body training.
• 🤸‍♂️ Lunge patterns engage both the anterior (front) and posterior (back) sides of the body, including core stability.
• 🧍‍♂️ Proper lunge technique starts with aligning the shoulder, hip, and knee in a straight line for stability.
• 🦶 Ensuring the back big toe is bent provides support and pivots through the lunge movement.
• 🦿 The shin of the leading leg should be as vertical as possible to evenly recruit muscles.
• 🏋️‍♀️ Correct lunge execution results in an even workload across the quads, hamstrings, and glutes.
• 🚫 Knee pain during lunges can be due to starting with advanced variations; beginners should start with stationary lunges.
• 👃 Breathing technique for lunges involves inhaling and holding breath as you descend, exhaling as you ascend.
• 🕒 The recommended tempo for lunges is slow and controlled, with a two-second eccentric, one-second hold, and two-second concentric.
• 🏃‍♂️ For novices, it's advised to start with bodyweight lunges for 3-4 weeks before progressing to weighted variations.
• 💪 Lunges are a versatile exercise suitable for standalone leg workouts or total body training.

Q & A

What are the two movement patterns typically prioritized in lower body training?

The two movement patterns typically prioritized in lower body training are squatting patterns and deadlifting patterns.

Why does Danny Matranga prefer the lunge mechanic over squats and deadlifts?

Danny Matranga prefers the lunge mechanic because it effectively hits both the front and back sides of the body as well as engages the core and subsystems for stability.

What are the three main checkpoints to ensure proper lunge form according to the video?

The three main checkpoints for proper lunge form are: ensuring the shoulder, hip, and knee create a straight line; supporting and bending the back big toe; and keeping the shin of the lead leg as vertical as possible.

Why is it important to feel the workload evenly across the quads, hamstrings, and glutes during a lunge?

Feeling the workload evenly across the quads, hamstrings, and glutes ensures that the lunge is being performed correctly and that the muscles are being engaged and worked evenly.

What is a common issue people face when performing lunges, and why does it occur?

A common issue people face when performing lunges is knee pain, which often occurs because they start with a more advanced variation like the walking lunge before mastering the stationary lunge.

Why is the stationary lunge recommended for beginners before moving on to more advanced variations?

The stationary lunge is recommended for beginners because it allows the muscles and joints to share the load more evenly, helping to build up the necessary structures and strength before progressing to more advanced variations.

How should one breathe while performing a lunge, and why is this important?

One should inhale and hold the breath as they go down and exhale as they come up while lunging. This breathing pattern helps to recruit the core muscles needed to stabilize the pelvis and spine throughout the movement.

What is the recommended tempo for performing lunges when first learning the exercise?

When first learning the lunge, the recommended tempo is slow and controlled, with a two-second eccentric, a one-second hold, and a two-second concentric.

What advice does the video give for novices incorporating lunges into their workout routine?

For novices, the video recommends starting with bodyweight lunge variations for at least three to four weeks to establish the correct movement pattern before adding weights or advanced variations.

How can lunges be incorporated into a workout routine according to the video?

Lunges can be incorporated into a workout routine as a standalone leg workout, a total body training exercise, or as part of lower body training sessions.

Outlines

00:00

💪 Introduction to Lunges and Their Importance in Lower Body Training

Danny Matranga introduces the lunge as a key movement in lower body training, alongside squatting and deadlifting patterns. He emphasizes how lunges balance the workload between the front and back sides of the body, offering stability benefits due to its unilateral nature. He prefers lunges because they target both the anterior and posterior sides while engaging the core and stabilizing muscles.

🔄 Ground-Up Approach to Teaching the Lunge

Danny explains his approach to teaching the lunge from the ground up for better stability and joint alignment. He focuses on three key checkpoints: aligning the shoulder, hip, and knee in a straight line for stability, ensuring the back big toe is properly positioned for pivoting, and keeping the shin of the lead leg vertical for balanced muscle recruitment. This method helps ensure proper form and effective muscle engagement.

⚖️ Correct Form for Even Muscle Engagement

Danny highlights the importance of feeling an even workload across the quads, hamstrings, and glutes in both legs when performing lunges. If the lead or back leg feels overworked, adjustments to foot positioning may be necessary. This ensures proper engagement of all targeted muscle groups and prevents imbalance.

🚶 Common Lunge Mistake: Knee Pain and Overly Advanced Variations

Danny addresses a common issue with lunges: knee pain. He attributes this to beginners starting with advanced variations like walking lunges, which place more stress on the knee joint. Instead, he recommends starting with stationary lunges to allow the muscles and joints to develop strength and stability gradually.

💨 Breathing and Tempo Tips for Lunges

Danny advises on the proper breathing technique during lunges, suggesting inhaling and holding the breath while descending and exhaling when rising. He also emphasizes the importance of slow and controlled movements for beginners to establish a proper movement pattern and avoid injury. A recommended tempo includes a two-second eccentric, a one-second hold, and a two-second concentric phase.

🏋️ Lunge Progression and Final Recommendations

Danny concludes by recommending that novices start with bodyweight lunges for three to four weeks to build the correct movement pattern before adding weights like dumbbells or kettlebells. Advanced variations such as walking lunges or Bulgarian split squats can be introduced later. He emphasizes the lunge’s effectiveness for lower body or full-body workouts.

👍 Wrap-Up and Engagement

Danny wraps up the video by encouraging viewers to like, subscribe, and share the video. He invites viewers to leave any questions about the lunges in the comments, promising to answer them periodically.

Keywords

💡Lunge

A lunge is a fundamental exercise in strength training that involves stepping forward with one foot and lowering the body until the front knee is at a 90-degree angle. It is a unilateral movement, meaning it works one side of the body at a time, which can improve balance and stability. In the video, the lunge is highlighted as a favorite exercise for its ability to engage both the anterior and posterior body, as well as core muscles, making it a comprehensive lower body workout.

💡Squatting Patterns

Squatting patterns refer to a group of exercises that primarily target the muscles of the lower body, particularly the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes, through a squatting motion. These patterns emphasize the anterior side of the body. The video mentions squatting patterns as one of the two main movement patterns people prioritize for lower body training, alongside deadlifting patterns.

💡Deadlifting Patterns

Deadlifting patterns are a set of exercises that focus on the posterior chain, which includes the muscles of the back, glutes, and hamstrings. These exercises are designed to strengthen the backside of the body and are often contrasted with squatting patterns in the context of lower body training. The video discusses deadlifting patterns as a way to hit the backside of the body more heavily.

💡Stability

Stability in the context of exercise refers to the body's ability to maintain a balanced position during movement. The video emphasizes the importance of stability in the lunge exercise, suggesting that starting with a stationary lunge can help build the necessary stability before progressing to more advanced variations like walking lunges.

💡Core

The core refers to the central group of muscles of the torso, which includes the abdominals, lower back, and pelvic muscles. A strong core is essential for overall fitness and stability during exercise. The video mentions that the lunge pattern helps engage the core, contributing to overall stability and balance during the movement.

💡Muscle Imbalance

Muscle imbalance occurs when there is a significant difference in strength or flexibility between muscle groups, which can lead to poor posture and increased risk of injury. The video discusses the importance of evenly distributing the workload across the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes during the lunge to prevent muscle imbalance.

💡Knee Pain

Knee pain is a common issue that can arise from improper exercise technique or pre-existing conditions. The video addresses knee pain as a potential problem with lunges, particularly when starting with advanced variations like walking lunges, which can place excessive force on the knee joint if not performed correctly.

💡Breathing Technique

Breathing technique is crucial in exercise for maintaining proper form and stabilizing the body. The video describes the appropriate breathing technique for the lunge, which involves inhaling and holding the breath as the body lowers into the lunge, and exhaling as it rises, helping to engage the core and stabilize the spine.

💡Tempo

Tempo in exercise refers to the speed at which movements are performed. The video recommends a slow and controlled tempo for the lunge, with specific timing for the eccentric (lowering) and concentric (rising) phases, to ensure proper form and muscle engagement, especially when first learning the movement.

💡Variations

Variations in exercise refer to different forms or styles of an exercise that can alter its difficulty or target different muscle groups. The video discusses various lunge variations, such as walking lunges and Bulgarian split squats, which can be incorporated once the basic lunge pattern has been mastered.

💡Progression

Progression in fitness refers to the gradual increase in difficulty or intensity of exercises to continue challenging the body and promote growth. The video suggests starting with bodyweight lunges and progressing to weighted variations or more advanced lunge forms as the individual's strength and technique improve.

Highlights

Danny Matranga discusses lunge variations for lower body training.

Lunge pattern hits both anterior and posterior body sides.

Lunge is favored for its stability and core engagement.

Teaching lunges from the ground up ensures proper joint alignment.

Shoulder, hip, and knee should form a straight line for stability.

The back big toe should have support and bend for pivoting.

The shin of the lead leg should be vertical for even muscle recruitment.

Correct lunge technique distributes workload evenly across muscles.

Knee pain in lunges can be due to advanced variations used too early.

Stationary lunges are recommended for beginners to prevent knee pain.

Breathing technique for lunges involves holding breath during the descent.

A slow and controlled tempo is advised when learning lunges.

A recommended tempo is two-second eccentric, one-second hold, and two-second concentric.

Lunges are a versatile exercise suitable for all levels of training.

Beginners should start with bodyweight lunges for 3-4 weeks.

Advanced variations like walking lunges can be added after mastering the basic lunge.

Lunges can be a standalone leg workout or part of a total body training.

The video concludes with a call to like, subscribe, and share for more content.

Transcripts

what's up guys is Danny Matranga with

mine pump TV and today we're gonna be

going over the lunch and some variations

that you can apply to really improve

your performance when it comes to lower

body training there's typically two

movement patterns people prioritize

squatting patterns and deadlifting

patterns squatting patterns at the

anterior or front side of the body a

little more heavily dead lifting

patterns that hit the back or posterior

side of the body a little more heavily

my personal favorite and my years of

training is actually the lunge mechanic

or the lunge pattern this has a nice way

of hitting both the front and the back

side of the body as well as some of the

core and subsystems that help with

stability because unlike the squat and

the deadlift this is done one side at a

time when I teach the lunge I like to

teach it from the ground up for two

reasons when you start from the top and

step into it you have some instability

there and it can be a little bit

difficult to get your footing right if

you break it down and teach it from the

ground up you get the opportunity to

start in a stable position as well as

make sure that the main joints are lined

up the first check point we have we want

to make sure that the shoulder hip and

knee create a straight line this is

going to give you some stability but

it's also going to keep all the joints

exactly where they need to be the second

point the back big toe we want to make

sure that there's some support and bend

in that back big toe because we're going

to pivot through it the third point is

the shin of the lead leg we want that to

be as vertical as possible we don't want

to be way out over the front we don't

want to be way out here we want to be

right in this vertical Shin position

this allows us to recruit the hamstring

quad and glue evenly throughout the

movement

and that's the entire reason I love the

lunge so much you know you're doing this

lunge correct if you feel the workload

split evenly across the quads hamstrings

and gluts and the front and the back leg

if you feel it too much on the lead leg

you might need to make an adjustment as

to where that foot is and same thing

goes for the back leg you know you're

nailing it if you feel it evenly across

both legs and all muscle groups one of

the most common issues I've come across

in my years training associated with the

lunge is knee pain the reason I think a

lot of people experience knee pain when

they first start lunging is because they

start with a variation that's a little

too advanced

most people are inclined to start with a

walking lunge the walking lunge is a

great exercise and it's fine but it is

more

Vance and doing it in a stationary

position when you step forward you allow

the need to travel more forward over the

toe this is going to create greater

force at the knee joint and if you're

already predisposed to knee pain it's

not the best place to start if you start

stationary with again the shoulder over

the hip over the knee and allow all the

muscles and all the joints to share the

load more evenly you can build up the

structures you can allow the muscles to

get strong enough to support something

like a walking lunge or a reverse lunge

as is the case with any exercise

breathing in tempo unimportant breathing

for the lunge is very similar to

breathing for the squat we want to

inhale and hold the breath as we go down

exhale as we come up this helps the core

recruit all the right muscles needed to

stabilize the pelvis and the spine

throughout the movement as for tempo I

always recommend going slow and

controlled when you're doing something

for the first time we're looking to

establish and form a movement pattern

like the lunge that way your body and

joints have time to acclimate to the

movement you don't do anything too fast

I would recommend a two-second eccentric

a one-second hold and a two-second

concentric to wrap things up I think the

lunge is a fantastic lower body movement

that belongs in everyone's program for

novices who are incorporating lunges for

the first time I would recommend

sticking with bodyweight variations like

the ones we showed today for at least

three to four weeks while you establish

the right movement pattern after you've

got that down feel free to add weights

in the form of dumbbells kettlebells

barbells maybe even moving into advanced

variations like walking or Bulgarian

split squats but the lunge is a

fantastic movement for you to

incorporate in your workouts any time

you train your lower body or if you

train total body it can be a standalone

leg workout alright thanks for tuning in

you guys if you guys liked that video

make sure you like subscribe and share

also if you have any questions regarding

this video just leave them in the

comments below we'll be coming back

periodically and answering those for you