Finally, my blogs have reached their end on background information on fitness and health and have now started their journey on actual exercises, actual foods, everyday dieting, ect. We have met the first official chapter of fitness and health. I decided to start this road with walking lunges because after hearing two strength and conditioning coaches bicker on whether walking lunges or back squats were a better exercise for an athlete and/or general population, I decided that I would talk about each of them separately then make a post where we bring them together and make a pro and cons list of each and then determine which is best for which situation because quite honestly this discussion has been going on for a long time in the fitness industry and it will never be 100% on which is best because everyone is different and has different preferences. Personally, now only will we talk about this exercise but I am going to post videos of them so you can do them! yay! for videos and pictures. This is something new I am doing because videos get more views and I want views to become followers, and followers to become friends.
The walking lunge
I personally enjoy lunges, and I feel that they are a terrific exercise, especially for those of you who are not quite confident enough yet to do a back squat, don’t belong to a gym, don’t have exercise equipment, and want some of the same advantages as a back squat. Walking lunges just like squats aren’t for everybody because some people don’t have the core strength, knee strength or balance and without those key things, it will be difficult to partake in this exercise. There are other forms of lunges and we shall hit on these in different post but I specifically want to speak on the walking lunge and for a good reason, I think the walking lunge is one of more popular types of lunges and the reasons vary from person to person, The bullet points below are going to list everything you need to know about a walking lunge and the importance of them and varying information:
- Shapes the lower body
- increases muscle tissue
- develops core strength
- make your hips more flexible
- multi-joint exercise
- can be modified to meet your fitness level
- effectively work your glutes, quadriceps and hamstrings
- working on these large muscles have been said to speed up your metabolism (helps with weight loss)
- Improves core strength
- improves hip flexibility
- helps with balance
Having a good core strength can reduce lower back pain, improves balance, posture, stability, and athletic performance. Neglecting to keep your body upright and balanced during this exercise can cause injuries and poor form. Improving hip flexibility is important for those that might live a sedentary lifestyle or don’t use these muscles often tend to have tight hip flexors and this can also trigger lower back pain. While there are different types of lunges and they all make for a great exercise, it is more important you start with the basics before moving on to something more advanced. Form and technique while doing walking lunges is very important because bad form and technique will only hurt you and cause more problems in the long term. Lunges do not need to be done with your knee having to touch the ground, as long as you are in a 90 degree angle, that is all that matters and back is straight. People believe when they do lunges they have to touch the ground and this is very false!
Walking lunges are a great workout & offer many benefits, for those of you who may not be aware of this exercise, give it a go and before you start, you might want to make sure you have no prior injuries that could cause issues for you. Thank you for reading, please share, comment, like, and reblog this post and follow me!
Sincerely,
Your blogger Shay-lon
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