Lunge meat - lunge exercises for the thighs - Abstract

Men's Fitness, Dec, 1998 by Steve Stiefel

Try this no-baloney exercise to pack muscle onto your thighs

Lunges are among the most neglected leg exercises for two reasons: 1) They're often perceived as a simple shaping exercise, better suited for women; and 2) They're extremely difficult to execute correctly with a mass-building (heavy) weight. The typical bodybuilder doesn't make lunges a cornerstone of his workout because they recruit too many stabilizing muscles - the kind that don't really show up during an onstage posedown. Most bodybuilders prefer squats and leg presses - which is great if your only goal is to stand around in posing briefs and look good.

But if you're like most guys and are seeking a little utility from your physique, lunges are an awesome way to develop both form and function in your legs. Lunges develop the vastus medialis, lateralis and intermedius, along with the adductor brevis and medialis, all of which makes for nice, full thigh development and improved sports performance. Furthermore, through variations in stance and execution, you can use lunges to emphasize and build your glutes.

If you're unfamiliar with lunges, you can't just plunge into them using tons of weight; you must first increase the strength and flexibility of your stabilizing muscles. We've broken lunges down into a progressive mass- and function-enhancing program, one that's ideal for building more muscular legs and increasing strength, balance and injury resistance for such sports as basketball, skiing and tennis.

Phase One

Your first objective as a neophyte lunger is to grow accustomed to the movement's range of motion. The exercises in this phase help you build your stabilizer muscles, diminishing the possibility of injury. Even the most advanced lungers should incorporate these into their workout as warm-up exercises. If you're already familiar with lunges and currently perform them with weights, you should also begin to mix Phase Two exercises into your routine.

Stationary lunge

Without using any weight, take a long step forward (your leer should be three or four feet apart). Slowly lower yourself until your back knee nearly touches the ground. At first, balance your body weight between your front and back legs so you feel the stress in both. As you become more comfortable with the movement, shift the emphasis of the weight toward your front leg. Do 10 reps, then switch legs. (If you're having trouble with balance, grab a squat rack or other piece of equipment. Work up to performing all three sets without assistance.) Once you've got the motion down, repeat the same process with a short barbell across your traps. Because of its length, a short bar allows you to develop better balance than an Olympic bar. Once you're able to perform three sets of 10 without wobbling, you're ready to take on stepping lunges, the crux of the lunge workout.

Unilateral/alternating stepping lunge

The execution of unilateral and alternating lunges is similar. With either variety, you must get used to the motion before you start piling on weight. With your hands on your hips, or holding a short barbell across your traps, step forward three or four feet and lower your weight until your back knee is almost touching the ground. Most of the weight should be absorbed by the quadriceps of your stepping leg. With the workload focused on your front quads, push up evenly from your front toe and heel, returning to the original standing position. For unilateral lunges, repeat until you complete 10 reps with one leg, then perform 10 reps with the other. As you get used to performing these, begin adding weight. Start with a light cambered or short barbell (20 to 45 pounds), or two light dumbbells. You can also begin to perform alternating lunges. For these, alternate legs until you've completed 10 reps with each leg. These exhaust your thighs at a near-equal pace and are somewhat more challenging than unilateral lunges, which allow one led to rest while you focus on the other.

Walking lunge

This is an excellent exercise for targeting your glutes. Because the thrust of your momentum is constantly forward, it's somewhat more difficult to target your quadriceps. Walking lunges are a bit risky because as your leos tire, you open yourself to the possibility of misstepping. Balance can also be tricky, so use dumbbells rather than a barbell. With several yards of clear space in front of you, begin the motion as you would for alternating lunges. Step forward three or four feet and lower your body. As you raise yourself back up, shift your weight onto your leading led and bring your back leg up. You may want to pause with the weight evenly balanced on both legs. As you become more experienced, take your trailing led through and continue forward without pausing, mimicking the motion of normal walking.

Phase Two

In this phase, you'll work on strengthening your stabilizer muscles. Keep doing the exercises from Phase One while slowly adding weight in small increments. You'll begin to see increases in both mass and definition as you incorporate the following exercises.