Looking to firm up your booty? If so, lunges should be your go-to move. They’re not only great for hitting the glute muscles, but will also target your hamstrings, quads, calves, and even your core as it contracts to keep you balanced.
Lunges make for a terrific lower body strengthening move that burn calories quickly and help strengthen your legs. If you’re bored of the standard lunge, there are plenty of variations that you can include into your workouts. Here are three variations to try. Add one (or all three) of these moves into your leg day routines and workout boredom will be a thing of the past.
1. The Walking Pulse Lunge
Walking lunges are the most commonly performed variation. Adding a pulse ups the intensity of the exercise.
- Rather than coming all the way back up after each lunge is performed, come only halfway up through the movement.
- Pause in this position and then lower back down so you’re in the bottom again (this is the pulse).
- Rise all the way up, completing the lunge.
- With the next step forward, repeat the action, doing another half lunge pulse mid-way through the rep.
This increases the total time the muscle is under tension, enhancing your strength gains.
2. The Split Squat Lunge
The split squat lunge can be either a great glute builder or a great quad builder, depending on how you perform it.
- To hit the quads to a larger degree, maintain a shorter distance between your front and back legs.
- To work the glutes, step further away from your back leg so more weight is being placed on the glute area.
- To get full glute activation, focus on pressing up through the heel of the foot, not the toes. This shifts more focus onto the glutes, giving you better results.
When doing the split squat lunge, the key point to remember is to keep your back in an upright neutral position. If you want to step it up another notch, hold dumbbells at your sides for resistance.
3. The Side Lunge
The side lunge is great for hitting your inner and outer thighs, firming up your lower body as you build greater agility and strength.
- Step directly to the side of your body, bend the supporting knee as you move into the lunge.
- Step back together to complete the rep.
- Step to the other side using the opposing foot and repeat the move.
- Keep it going until all reps are completed.
Remember to look straight forward to maintain a neutral back position.
Next workout, one of these three exercises a try. They’ll challenge you and add variety to your workout program.
What are your favorite lunge variations? Tell us in the comments below.
