In your attempts to build your quadriceps up, you’ve probably heard of, and even tried lunges before… maybe even backward lunges. But, there is another variation which is seldom mentioned, and even more rarely seen in the gyms – and that is walking lunges.
Walking lunges are an excellent quadriceps exercise, and in this article I’ll help you to get them just right to get your quads growing in size and strength.
For those of you who don’t like walking, don’t despair, you won’t have to walk far. But you do need enough space and a clear path to be able to walk forward a good number of steps, so the more space the better.
Ok. Walking lunges are performed pretty much identically to regular lunges, with the only notable difference being rather than propelling yourself backwards from your leading foot, you carry on walking.
Here’s how they are done…
Using a barbell held across the shoulders like you would in squatting, or dumbbells held to the sides, take a medium to large step forwards ensuring you land not on the toes but on the heal first for stability, and then into the toes. Once in this position, without pause, fluidly bend the knee of your leading leg until your trailing leg is left almost touching the floor. Now lift yourself upright using your leading leg and keeping yourself stable with the rear leg, and take the next step – with the other leg, of course.
The main thing for this exercise is to discover your optimal stride length, and to make sure you are performing walking lunges in a sizeable area, with a flat floor. You really do not want to twist your ankle on an uneven floor when you are carrying extra weight – so be careful.
It’s also important to know that the longer the stride the more the butt muscles (gluteus maximus) are involved and the less the quadriceps are, so for an effective quad exercise be certain to keep your stride length optimal for your leg length. Like any lunges, you also need to keep the spine firm and flat, as slack rounding of the back – particularly with the momentum of a barbell high up on the shoulders, may cause injury. And finally – keep the feet in a neural position. No dipping inwards and no turning outwards. Neither is an optimal – let alone safe – position for any lunging exercise.