Barbell lunges are one of the most beneficial exercises you can perform. But do them wrong and you can do yourself serious harm.
Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about barbell lunges.
According to fitness experts, one must do a full lunge workout before starting barbell lunges.
Why, you may wonder?
Let us find out.
Importance of Performing Lunges
The lunge is a lower-body exercise. One leg is positioned forward with knee bent and foot flat on the ground while the other leg is positioned behind.
It strengthens the body along with sculpting and toning the muscles.
It is the perfect form of resistance training for strengthening your hip and your back. It also helps in improving the stability of your legs.
Before we proceed let us discuss lunge types and their advantages.
Benefits of Lunges
- Lunges strengthen your core without putting any unnecessary exertion on your spine. They improve your body posture, that is, make you stand tall and move around with more stability.
- Lunges rectify body imbalances.
- The unilateral movement helps in burning your extra body fat by giving your muscles a lean appearance. The metabolism increases as well.
Once you have decided to push yourself to extreme levels, the lunge training can bail you out from an unfit, unhealthy body.
Advantages of different types of lunges
- Your fitness routine is incomplete and bare without the inclusion of lunges and a few squats. They bring positive changes to your lower torso.
- Do you have any information about an exercise that sculpts and tones your hamstrings as well as quadriceps? No? It is called curtsy lunge.
- Often, your ankle and feet muscles become inactive and unstable. Doing twist lunges will assist you in changing that.
- Which type of lunge workout will help in targeting the activation of your gluteal muscles? The answer is – a reverse lunge, a walking lunge, and a stationary lunge.
Now, let us move ahead and focus on barbell lunges.
Importance of barbell lunges workout
Do you want to focus your fitness regime on body coordination and muscle balance?
This barbell lunge will come to your rescue in this regard as it includes squatting. This unilateral exercise directly helps in strengthening the lower body. It has to be a staple diet when we talk about physical fitness.
- Are you a runner?
- Are you interested in practicing daily squatting?
- Are you someone who has fun while climbing two stairs at a time?
Performing a barbell lunge workout will help you in achieving all these. You just have to be dedicated.
Barbell lunges workout – Required body posture
Firstly, bend the knee of any one leg. Then, move the same leg forward while keeping your feet on the ground in a flat position.
The posture should be such that the other portion should be facing backward. When this body position is obtained through the usage of barbells, then we call it barbell lunges.
What are the primary and secondary muscles that are affected directly by barbell lunges?
- The primary muscles are the quadriceps.
- The secondary muscles are hamstrings, calf muscles, and gluteal muscles.
A detailed guide on how to perform barbell lunges
Execute these steps if you want to begin with barbell lunges. Regular practice of these steps will help you master this technique.
- Pick up the barbell and place it on your back, a few inches below your shoulder level. Hold it in a way that your grip is tight.
- In the next step, your shoulder has to bend to a right angle at least, if not more. You can’t afford to bend down less because that would result in instability. Consequently, your grip would loosen.
- The third step is the most crucial one. You have to push one leg forward, another leg backward, just like described above. Keep your body straight while lifting the barbell.
- Your right leg will be faced forward while the knee will be bent. The left knee will be touching the ground firmly as you lower your body.
- It is the final position that has to be attained at any cost. Now, repeat the process till your body feels hugely taxed.
Initially, these steps might seem daunting to beginners. As long as you stay consistent, it doesn’t matter if you go slowly in mastering it. Just keep practicing and building your confidence level.
Common mistakes to avoid while performing barbell lunges
There is no doubt that it is daunting when it comes to the difficulty level of barbell lunges.
Beginners often get worried when they don’t get results in some time. It happens because they might be making mistakes. However, mistakes are a part of this fitness journey. So, let us find out which mistakes need to be avoided for sure.
- The rod’s placement should be such that you don’t end up inflicting any back injury or shoulder injury upon yourself.
- There is also a limit on the load you put on the rod as a beginner. In the first few weeks, don’t add any burden on the rod. Perform the barbell lunges with an empty rod.
- The alignment of your hips, knee, and ankle should be such that they all make right angles.
Benefits of barbell lunges
Let us find if this time-consuming exercise is worthy of all the gym time on busy weekdays.
- With the right execution of barbell lunges and a proper dietary regime, you can get toned thighs. Rest assured, your legs will become symmetrical in five months maximum.
- You can overcome the stability and balance problems in your lower torso. How? Unilateral workouts like barbell lunges let you focus on a single side of your body at a time that, ultimately, reduces the imbalance from one side to another.
How often should you train to learn the trick of barbell lunges?
We suggest you do the workout at least twice every week.
The learning takes time as it is a bit tough at first. If you can do it three times per week, then it is the best. You will get results sooner. However, you can take it slow if you want.
Things to keep in mind while performing the barbell lunges
- If you have imbalance issues, then we would advise you not to try this exercise at all.
- Even if you do it, you should use a steadier object than the barbell.
- One important tip for you is always to use a squat rack to practice the barbell lunges.
Variations of barbell lunges
Alternating barbell lunges
If you don’t want to put all the strain on one leg, then you can do this form of barbell lunge that lets you apply pressure on both legs alternately.
If you prioritize muscle strength over muscle growth, then this workout will be your soulmate.
Overhead barbell lunges
This physical exercise demands a lot of movement in your upper body. The aftereffects are seen more in your quadriceps.
In this form of lunge workout, you have to hold the bar right above your head as you do the exercise.
Many times, people fail in keeping the hands stable over your head. You can train your body to grow stronger core muscles through an overhead barbell lunge.
Barbell lunges while walking
This exercise can act as the best warm-up exercise for your lower torso. It will be a cakewalk for all athletes who can comfortably perform barbell lunges while moving forward.
It is usually done with a lightweight load. However, if you decide to use a heavy load, you won’t be able to do any other workout form on the same day. Walking lunges with a barbell will tire your body in no time.
Final words
The initial struggle phase of performing barbell lunges is flawed for almost everyone.
Then again, you don’t need to depend on others to notice the mistakes you are committing. You can do it on your own if you perform the barbell lunges in front of a mirror.
We will give five gold stars to those who can guess why 95% of gyms have large mirrors. A barbell lunge on its own can’t benefit you.
You have to incorporate a strict diet and ample rest into your schedule to enjoy all benefits mentioned above.
Staying healthy and staying fit should be everyone’s primary priority. So, we hope we nudged your body to implement this workout to your non-existent or pre-existing exercise routine.
