You're doing those Lunges wrong.....

Lunges are one of the greatest exercises going.  They strengthen the hips, glutes, quads, and core.  They can be performed as a a cardio based exercise or with added weight as a strength training exercise.  There are many variation to keep you interested.  Here are a few tips for what mistakes I see when people perform lunges.

Common Lunge Mistakes:

1.  The toe is the first body part to hit the ground.
-this places far too much stress on the knee

2.  You lean forward with your spine
-typically this occurs because of either tight hip flexors or weakness of the quads

3.  Your knees go beyond your toe
-knee killer for sure

4.  Your knee collapses inward
-although this is a bit exaggerated, I'd say 9/10 lunges involve the knees collapsing too far in like this

Advanced Lunge Variations:

1.  Walking lunges
2.  In place lunges

3.  Reverse lunges

4.  Star Lunges
-a fantastic exercise for hip stability (yes that means you runners with IT Band syndrome)

5.  Unipolar weight lunges
-a great way to incorporate core into the lunge

6.  Overhead lunges
-making this a whole body exercise

If you have any pain during lunges or have questions and are in need of a movement assessment, contact my office at 561.997.8898 or email me at drscotthoar@gmail.com.  To check out more visit www.Mobility-4Life.com