SETUP: Grab a dumbbell in each hand, stand with your chest up & shoulders back, and step one leg back into a lunge position. We want to be able to hit a 90 degree angle, so play with your stance until you get it right.
REP: Control the descent into a lunge until you reach a 90 degree angle (don’t touch the floor with the dropping knee). Keep your weight over the front foot the whole time. Push yourself up by driving through that front leg. Watch the video; see how I push STRAIGHT UP, not up and back? If you’re pushing up and back you transfer the load to the back leg, which isn’t the goal. When done right, you’ll go up and down in an almost straight line.
TIP: These are called ATOMIC LUNGES because things are gonna get nasty… We perform x1 rep then hold the bottom position for a 1 second pause, then we perform x2 reps and then hold the bottom position for 2 seconds… You can see where I’m going with this, right? I usually have people work up from 1>8, then switch legs.
MUSCLES WORKED BY THIS EXERCISE:
Legs (Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings, Abductors, Adductors)
