31 March, 2008

Ask the coach: Barbell Lunge

Summer is approaching and females everywhere are dreading the thought of blowing off the cobwebs of their bikini’s to reveal their legs that have been hidden for months. Time is becoming a factor so you need exercises that can help sculpt luscious legs. One such exercise used from beginners to elite athletes is the lunge of barbell or dumbbell variations. This exercise is a big calorie burner and it can help strengthen one leg as much as the other, so you achieve muscle balance between the limbs. This will help prevent long-term injuries and overcompensation of certain joints during exercise and general day-to-day activities.

Here are some tips to perform this exercise:

Place a barbell on the on the meatiest part of the shoulders just above the shoulder blades with your feet shoulder distance apart.

Take a large step forward until your heel leaves the floor and you can fully bend the knee. This will stretch the opposing leg and focus all the work on the lead leg.

Keep your shoulders above your hips in an upright posture and slowly let your hips and knee travel forward.

Travel forward like an escalator until the calf on your front leg is squashed and you have a complete knee bend. Push back with your front leg.

You can either alternate legs each set or focus the work on one leg before changing to the other side. The goal is just to match the work of the weaker leg with that of the dominant leg.

Repetitions: Repitions can vary but beginners should aim for between 8-10 rep’s whilst advanced trainers can vary. Start with two sets of the repetitions and then work up to four.

Pace: lower down in four seconds, then push back to the starting position in two seconds. As you get more experienced you can speed up the exercise.

Rest: break for 60 seconds between sets, then repeat the exercise or else alternate with hamstring or upper body work.