Assisted Leg Press Lunges
The biggest difference between the Wall Press Lunges and the Assisted Leg Press Lunges is the range of motion!
You will notice that we are lunging deeper in this exercise than we have before. This is where our support devices come in - they will allow us to work in the right movement pattern while improving our balance and stability.
It is okay for your knees to go over your toes here. Doing this with building up the depth of your lunge slowly and in a controlled manner will strengthen our joints in tandem with our muscles.
Standards
LEVEL 1: 2 Sets of 15 (Both Sides)
LEVEL 2: 2 Sets of 20 (Both Sides)
LEVEL 3: 2 Sets of 30 (Both Sides)
Do 2-3 Sets of as many as you safely can.
Once you can meet or exceed the sets and reps of Level 3 with good form, you are ready to move on to a harder variation.
Form Cues
It can be helpful for alignment to imagine your knee going over your second toe during the lunge.
Try to keep your heels down throughout this movement. If your heels want to lift up anyway, that’s okay! Doing some calf stretches will help make this easier with time.
Avoid working through pain on this exercise (and others in the routine). Use assistance in the ranges where you feel pain until you’re able to do them pain-free. Feeling effort is okay.
Try to keep your back neutral throughout the exercise. This means don’t arch or round your back. This may take some work if you’re not used to it, but you should make progress over time.
Slowly rely less and less on your supports over time. This will help progress you to the next step - lunging without supports!
Try to keep your standing leg nearly straight, with a very slight bend at the knee.
Film yourself and watch back between sets!
Tutorial
Find a raised surface and collect two objects to use as assistance. A pair of brooms, mops, or rakes can be repurposed for support here. You can also use a tree, a post, a pole, or even a wall for one-sided support.
Stand approximately 1 foot from your raised surface and hold your supports at arms length on either side of you. Ensure your supports are stable before moving on to Step 3.
Slowly lunge forward until your hamstring touches your calf. Try to keep your torso neutral and upright. Allow your arms to bend naturally throughout the movement.
Pause for 1 Second.
Press down through your foot to slowly return to start.
Repeat 3-6.
Progression & Regression
To make this exercise harder: Assisting less with your arms will make this exercise harder. Alternatively, you can use one arm to assist.
To make this exercise easier: Assisting more with your arms will make this exercise easier. Assisting with fully extending arms is more difficult and may help you measure your progress.