6 lunge benefits and why they should be on your workout

When it comes to leg strength, we immediately think of squats. And with good reason.

But if you’re neglecting the lunge, you’re missing out on some serious results.

Shake up your routine and wake up your legs. With these lunge benefits in mind, you’ll stay focused and start seeing results.

Yes, performing lunges benefits your glutes and quads first and foremost. But this super-move also full engages - and in turn, strengthens - your hamstrings and calves too. The way you lunge can affect the muscles you engage. For example, pitching slightly forward as you lunge will focus more on your glutes and hamstrings.

Boredom is one of the most common reasons for dropping off your training regime. Another is plateauing - when you’re working out but can’t see any results, so you get fed up and quit. You can prevent them both by mastering all kinds of lunges, with all kinds of lunge benefits. Try the multiplanar lunge: where you extend a weighted ball in front of you as you lunge forward, move back, pivot 90 degrees, then lunge again.

Keep your shoulders aligned over your hips as you perform a lunge and you’ll get a bonus core workout. It may not be the first exercise you think of when it comes to core strength, but when you balance your body and engage your core muscles, you’re doing more than you think with your midsection.

Lunge on the regular and burn off lunch faster. One of the biggest lunge benefits is the effect it has on your big muscles. By targeting the buttocks and the thighs, you’ll boost your metabolism and speed up weight loss much faster. To get the most out of your lunging sessions, bring weights into your workouts. Power-up!

Sit on your desk chair long enough and those hip flexors (the muscles you use to bend or flex your legs at the hips) will start to tighten. You’ve probably noticed it after a long drive - that lower back niggle you feel as a result of stiff hips. One of the most important lunge benefits is that it can improve the flexibility of your hips - forcing them to stretch and preventing pain in those areas.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again - your back and core muscles are crucial for making functional movements easier. But they can also affect you in more subtle ways - like your confidence. When you regularly lunge, you strengthen these important muscles, which literally make you stand taller and more confidently. Strong, stable postures don’t just look and feel great - they reduce your chances of injury.