The Kettlebell Lunge is another one of those big full body exercises that should not be avoided.
The lunge mimics the natural stepping, walking and running movement pattern and develops one-legged strength as well as good hip mobility.
I’m always amazed to see so many runners that can’t lunge.
If you can’t lunge then what the heck is going on when you run, which is an even more advanced movement pattern.
Don’t run before you can walk, Don’t run before you can lunge!
Watch a video of the Kettlebell Lunge in action below:
The lunge uses the core in a very different way from the Swing and the Squat so be prepared to have to work on some stabilization as you may be a bit wobbly at first.
There are many varieties of Lunge but they can basically be divided into Forwards, Backwards and Side Lunge.
Backwards is the easiest, the Forward lunge requires more eccentric loading so will produce more muscle soreness, finally the side lunge requires more mobility but will really target the Glutes (Backside)
Teaching Points
- Keep the chest up and look forwards
- Step with Control and Confidence
- Ensure that the knee kisses the floor
- Both front and back knee should bend to 90 degrees
- Keep weight on the front heel NOT the toes
- For the side lunge ensure that you push the hips backwards
Similar to the Squat, shallow lunges will only develop large quads (thighs), get deeper to recruit the Glutes (Backside).
Related: 16 Kettlebell Lunge Variations from Beginner to Pro
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