The ONLY Way You Should Be Doing Lunges! (Build GREAT Legs)
Summary
TLDRIn 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
💪 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.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Lunge
💡Squatting Patterns
💡Deadlifting Patterns
💡Stability
💡Core
💡Muscle Imbalance
💡Knee Pain
💡Breathing Technique
💡Tempo
💡Variations
💡Progression
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
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