Lunges Progressions
Improve unilateral leg-strength and stretch your hip flexors! We walk, run, and kick with one leg at a time, so it’s helpful to train this way.
#1 - Wall Press Lunges
We lunge pretty frequently during our daily lives! We just might not think of these movements as lunges.
Drop a pencil? You might kneel down to grab it! See a friendly dog? You might step into a lunge to greet it!
That being said, lunges can be a challenge. We can start to work through this challenge by training our range of motion. This is a great place to start!
Standard: 2 Sets of 30 (Both Sides)
#2 - 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.
Standard: 2 Sets of 30 (Both Sides)
#3 - Leg Press Lunges
This time, we are working through our leg press lunges without supports!
You might feel slightly less stable at first, and that’s okay. You can dial back your range of motion and build up from there.
Lunges engage the entire lower body, but the strength of this movement will come primarily from our quads and glutes. You should really feel these muscles engaging when you press up and out of your lunge.
Standard: 2 Sets of 25 (Both Sides)
#4- Bodyweight Lunges
This exercise is what we usually imagine when we think of a lunge. This is also a movement that you might do pretty regularly!
The most famous example is kneeling during a proposal. This is good practice for a big moment!
Or, you might just be kneeling down to tie your shoe. Also a very important moment, though much less romantic.
Standard: 2 Sets of 30 (Both Sides)
#5- Assisted Deep Lunges
Here’s where we get into deeper lunges. Similarly to our Leg Press Lunges, we are going to challenge our range of motion.
As you get used to the depth of these lunges, try to rely less and less on your support object. This will get you ready for the next progression.
Standard: 2 Sets of 20 (Both Sides)
#6- Deep Lunges
Deep Lunges take this unilateral movement pattern through our entire range of motion while challenging our overall stability.
Not only will this build strength, muscle, and mobility, it’ll also keep our joints healthy, strong, and moving for years to come.
As with all calisthenics moves, build up to this progressively. If your joints hurt from doing this movement, experiment with some easier variations instead.
Congratulations on reaching this step!
Standard: 2 Sets of 20 (Both Sides)