Setup
1. Place your feet one ahead of the other
2. Keep your chest up and low back tight – Think “Proud chest”. This will help keep your lower back flat.
3. Engage your core, keep your abs tight. Brace your abs like you’re about to get punched in the gut.
4. Look straight ahead. Your neck should be in a neutral position, neither pointed up or down.
5. Place your weight on the heel of your front foot. Your weight should be shifted away from your toes to the middle of your foot and heel.
MUSCLE CONTRACTION/MOVEMENT
Start by placing one leg slightly in front of you and your other leg slightly behind you, keeping your legs about hip width apart. Shift most of your weight to your front leg, keeping your back foot on its toes.
Push your hips backward before starting to lower your body. This will help keep your knee in a safe position during the lunge.
Bend your front leg at the knee and lower yourself until your hamstring is about parallel to the floor (90-degree angle at your knee). Try to bend the back knee to a 90-degree angle as well.
Be sure to avoid excessive forward movement of the knee past the toes. In general, the knees should be aligned over the second toe so the knee moves in the same direction as the ankle joint . Straighten the front leg as you return to start position and repeat.
Switch legs and lunge with the opposite leg in front. Use your front leg to do most of the work, keeping most of your weight in the heel of your front foot. This type of lunge will strengthen your quads and glutes while increasing hip stability.
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