Why Lunge? The back squat is king of the lower body movements, but we barely program it! Why is that? Well, it's king for only one reason, much the same way a real king is simply born into it, the back squat is famous purely for the load that can be moved. However, that doesn't mean it's the best choice for well rounded fitness. Many athletes with massive back squats, find it difficult to kneel down on the ground, or to perform a pistol.

Here are 5 reasons to spend more time in the gym on one leg.

1. Bilateral Deficit
We also have to consider something called the bilateral deficit. This is the idea that your brain can only send a certain amount of neural drive to the muscles. So if you send that neural drive to only one muscle, it can fire harder independently than if you fired 2 muscles. For example, test your 1-arm curl against to your 2-arm curl. You will be able to lift more than 50% of your 2-arm curl with one arm.

One other advantage here is that the legs are the limiting factor, rather than the core and back, so you can train the legs more effectively.

2. We are bipedal creatures
Walking and running are arguably the most important physical qualities for athleticism and survival. When you lunge, one hip is in extension, with the other in flexion (like walking, running, leaping, bounding, most athletic movements).

3. Flexibility
The lunge can emphasize flexibility. If you lunge barefoot, you can mobilize the toes, feet, and ankles–which is becoming more important as a vast percentage of the population spend most of their time wearing restrictive shoes.

4. Back Issues

When it comes to preventing back issues, tight hip flexors are a common culprit. The thing is though, they are usually tight AND weak–so don’t JUST stretch them! In a standard split squat (lunge position but the feet don’t return to start position) the front leg is taking on the majority of the job, but the back leg is working too. The rear leg is loaded up and now you have a chance to both stretch and strengthen the front side of the hip and knee–which can prevent low back and knee issues.

5. Acceleration and Deceleration
During sports, you’ll find yourself changing direction through a wide range of angles and foot positions. The lunge is the safest and most effective way to build up the strength to do this.

We tend to utilise 3 basic lunges;
- Walking lunge (trains forward deceleration and quad emphasis)
- Reverse lunge (Reverse deceleration and forward acceleration with glute emphasis)
- Lateral lunge (lateral acceleration and deceleration with abductor/adductor emphasis)

Owning these different angles in a safe and controlled environment is the best way to prepare you to do them safely during the chaos of sport and real life.

So many fantastic reasons to lunge, and so little time…

Get your Daily Dose of Lunges
Sure the back and front squats are where we can really play with big weights and big dreams, but you can load lunges plenty heavy once you gain some experience and stability in the movement.

Lunges will also train your midline in a unique way through the asymmetrical loading applied at each step.

TRAINING FEBRUARY 24th