Walking Lunges Guide: How to Master Walking Lunges

The walking lunge is a bodyweight exercise that works multiple muscle groups throughout your lower body, including your hamstrings, quadriceps, glutes, hip flexors, and calves. The walking lunge requires no equipment, making it an easy lower-body exercise to use for a home workout. Consider practicing walking lunges as a warm-up for other exercises that use knee flexion like Bulgarian deadlifts and split squats.

The walking lunge and stationary lunge, also known as the forward lunge, differ in a few ways.

1. 1. Movement pattern: Although walking lunges and stationary lunges use the same downward movement, they use a different upward movement. Walking lunges put more emphasis on your front leg as you rise forward to keep walking. In contrast, stationary lunges place more emphasis on your back leg as you return to the starting position.
2. 2. Balance: Walking lunges require more stabilization than basic lunges. The walking lunge activates your core muscles as stabilizers during the walking movement.
3. 3. Difficulty level: Generally, walking lunges are more difficult than stationary lunges. If you want to increase the difficulty level of walking lunges, consider holding a kettlebell or a pair of dumbbells during the exercise.

For walking lunges, begin with 2–3 sets of 10–15 repetitions on each side. Choose your sets and repetitions based on your ability to maintain good technique.

1. 1. Start by standing with your feet hip-width apart and a slight bend in your knees. Your shoulders should be directly over your hips with a neutral head and neck position. Your chin should remain tucked, as if you were holding an egg under your chin.
2. 2. Evenly distribute your weight, and grip the floor with your feet to create a stable position.
3. 3. Place your hands on the sides of your hips, and pretension your shoulders and hips while engaging your core. All repetitions should begin from this position.
4. 4. While maintaining a neutral spine and an upright chest position, take a step forward and land in a heel-to-toe manner.
5. 5. 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. Your front foot should be neutral with your weight evenly distributed along the entire foot. Your front knee should be directly over your big toe. Your rear hip should be over your rear knee, with the ball of your foot on the ground and your heel lifted.
6. 6. At the bottom of the lunge, both of your legs should be roughly at a 90-degree angle. Your shoulders should be over your hips. Imagine that your pelvis is a bucket filled with water and you’re attempting not to spill any of it. Pause for a second at the bottom of the movement.
7. 7. To begin the upward movement, keep your chest high, and push your entire foot into the ground, using your glute and quad to push yourself back to an upright position. Emphasize pushing through your midfoot and heel while keeping your toes engaged.
8. 8. Both legs should finish next to each other as you return to the starting position.
9. 9. Repeat these steps, alternating sides to walk forward with each lung.

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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