How to Do Goblet Lunges With Perfect Form
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Jul 15, 2021 • 2 min read
If you’re looking for a challenging lunge variation, consider including goblet lunges in your home workout routine.
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What Is a Goblet Lunge?
A goblet lunge, also known as a goblet forward lunge, is a weighted lunge variation that activates muscle groups throughout your body. Perform goblet lunges by holding a free weight—like a dumbbell, kettlebell, or medicine ball—in front of your chest. Take a step forward with your right leg and bend your knees, hips, and ankles to lower yourself into a lunge position. Push into your right foot and stand again. Repeat this movement with your left leg. Once you’ve practiced the standard goblet lunge, consider trying other goblet lunge variations like the goblet reverse lunge or the goblet lateral lunge.
What Muscles Do Goblet Muscle Work
With proper lunge technique, the goblet lunge is a full-body workout that activates many of your major muscle groups.
- Anterior leg muscles: Goblet lunges activate your hip flexors and adductors while explicitly targeting the quadriceps on the front of your legs.
- Posterior leg muscles: The goblet lunge works many muscles along your posterior chain, including your hamstrings, glutes, and calves.
- Upper body: As you hold a free weight in front of your chest during the exercise, you activate the biceps in your arms and the deltoids in your shoulders.
How to Work out Safely and Avoid Injury
If you have a previous or pre-existing health condition, consult your physician before beginning an exercise program. Proper exercise technique is essential to ensure the safety and effectiveness of an exercise program, but you may need to modify each exercise to attain optimal results based on your individual needs. Always select a weight that allows you to have full control of your body throughout the movement. When performing any exercise, pay close attention to your body, and stop immediately if you note pain or discomfort.
In order to see continual progress and build body strength, incorporate proper warm-ups, rest, and nutrition into your exercise program. Your results will ultimately be based on your ability to adequately recover from your workouts. Rest for 24 to 48 hours before training the same muscle groups to allow sufficient recovery.
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How to Do Goblet Lunges With Proper Form
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Ingredients
For the goblet lunge, begin using a weight that you can control for 2–3 sets of 8–12 repetitions on each leg. Choose a weight that allows you to maintain good technique throughout all sets and repetitions.
- Hold a dumbbell, kettlebell, or medicine ball with both hands at chest height, with your elbows close to your ribcage. Your posture should be tall with your feet hip or shoulder-width apart and a slight bend in your knees. Your shoulders should be directly over your hips with a neutral head and neck position, and your chin should remain tucked throughout the movement as if you were holding an egg under your chin.
- Evenly distribute your weight along your feet from toe to heel, and grip the floor with your feet to create a stable foot position.
- Pre-tension your shoulders and hips while engaging your core. Your pelvis should be slightly tucked, and your ribs should be down.
- While keeping the dumbbell/kettlebell at chest height, take a step forward and land in a heel-to-toe manner.
- While maintaining a stable foot position, bend your hips, knees, and ankles to lower your hips toward the floor until your back knee is an inch or two from the ground.
- Evenly distribute your weight along your front foot. Your front knee should be directly over your second and third toes. Your rear hip should be over your rear knee, and you should be on the ball of your back foot, with your heel off of the ground.
- At the bottom of the lunge, both of your legs should be roughly at a 90-degree angle. Your shoulders should finish over your hips. Imagine that your pelvis is a bucket filled with water, and you’re attempting not to spill any water out of the front, back, or sides of the bucket.
- Pause for a second at the bottom position.
- While keeping your chest high, begin the backward movement by pushing your front foot into the ground and use your glute and quad to push back to an upright position. Emphasize pushing through your midfoot and heel while keeping your toes engaged.
- Both legs should finish next to each other as you return to the starting position. At the end of each repetition, your shoulders should finish directly over the hips.
- Repeat on the opposite side or the same side for the desired number of repetitions.