Side Lunge
Primary Muscle Group: Legs
Secondary Muscle Group: Glutes
Equipment Needed: None
The Benefits of Side Lunge
The Side Lunge really helps develop the side of your Glute (A.K.A Gluteus Medium) which other similar exercises don’t target as well, such as the standard squat. This is great because it helps strengthen your stabilizer muscles for the hip joint, which are often neglected.
By stepping off to the side during the side lunge, it hits your quadriceps (thighs) at a different angle no other body weight exercise will, which is excellent for toning your legs and giving you a better shaped bum.
We think this exercise is important to get perfect shaped legs and therefore we included this in all of our Free Workout Plans and our Premium Workout Plans.
The Risks of doing Side Lunge
Just a heads up, if you are new to this exercise its really common that you will have tightness in the groin, hip, and ankle areas which may make the side lunge more challenging. Trust us, stick with it and this will eventually improve and go away. We do recommend that you ensure you are have warmed up and stretched off before doing this exercise to avoid injury.
So before giving the Side Lunge a go, here's exactly how to do them without risking pain or injury.
How To Do Side Lunge
1. Start with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointed straight forward.
2. Step out with your right foot as wide as possible and point this toe outwards slightly.
3. Engage through the right heel as you drop your hips down and back while keeping the left leg straight, stretching the groin on the left leg and keeping both soles of the feet on the ground and toes pointed straight forward.
4. Push up off your right heel to bring yourself back to the full standing start position & that’s one rep complete.
For Perfect Technique
• Keep your back straight and your abs tight.
• Your back should be as straight as possible, so try not to hunch your shoulders.
• Don’t overstretch on the step out as this can cause a groin strain, so go as comfortably wide as you can.
Variations
Once you have mastered the Side Lunge exercise you can try alternative exercises that target the similar muscle groups such as;
Jumping Lunge
1. Stand with your hands on the back of your head and your feet shoulder-width apart with your feet turned out slightly to open the hip joint.
2. Lower your body until your thighs are at a 90 degree angle and parallel to the floor.
3. Pause for a second at the bottom of the movement & then return to the starting position.
Single Leg Squat
1. Start by standing on one leg with your foot pointing straight ahead and the knee of the other leg slightly bent OR you can rest this foot on a chair or platform.
2. You can have your arms extended in front of you for balance or kept at your sides.
3. Roll your shoulder blades back and keep your back straight.
4. Keep your weight cantered over the ball of your foot, your upper body erect, and your head facing forward.
5. Raise the non-supporting foot from the floor slightly or keep it resting on the chair of platform.
6. Lower to a squat position, keeping the knee of the supporting leg cantered over the ball of the foot.
7. Start with shallow squats and work your way closer to the ground as you get stronger.
The Side Lunge targets large muscle groups in your legs at unique angles, making it excellent options for building better shaped legs & burning body fat.