When it comes to exercising and working out, it’s probably safe to say that many people seem to constantly neglect their legs.
The sight of big muscular people with scrawny skinny legs in the gym is becoming more and more frequent and that simply has to stop.
Working your legs isn’t just for show. Your legs are basically the foundation of your entire body, so ensuring they’re strong and well looked after is simply a must. For this reason, it’s vital to know which exercises can actually benefit the legs the most.
As far as leg exercises go, walking lunges are one of the most beneficial and functional leg exercises.
Walking lunges – muscles worked
This simple exercise can work your glutes, your quadriceps, your hamstrings, your calves, and even your abdominal muscles, all at the same time.
Best of all, you don’t need any equipment to perform them, only an open space, although some people like to do them with dumbbells.
Execution and technique
Here is a step by step guide on how to do this simple yet highly effective exercise.
– To begin, start standing with your feet shoulder width apart, your back straight, and your head looking dead ahead, and your shoulders pulled back.
– Next, slowly step forward with one leg, until you’ve achieved a wide stance, which should be roughly the distance of one leg between your feet. Make sure to keep your back and spine straight.
– Now you’ll need to lower your hips, until both of your knees are bent at a 90 degree angle.
Make sure that your front knee is not extended out over your ankle. Your back knee should not touch the ground, but should instead hover ever so slightly above it.
– Finally, keeping the weight in your heels, push back upwards to the initial starting position, and repeat the exact same process, only this time reversing the legs.
– Repeat for the necessary amount of reps.
Things to remember
- Try to keep your hands on your hips during the execution of walking lunges, as this will help you keep your balance.
- If you’re doing this exercise with a set of dumbbells, choose a set of manageable dumbbells, hold them firmly in each hand, and let them hand down at your side at arm’s length, before doing the exercise in exactly the same way as listed above.
- Make sure that you don’t plant your knee hard into the ground as you lunge forward. Many people end up smashing their knee hard into the ground, which can lead to knee trouble. As mentioned, the knee should hover just above the floor.