How To Do Kettlebell Lunges

How To Do Kettlebell Lunges

Lunges

Kettlebell lunges are a perfect example of how well the kettlebell can be used in various workouts. Everybody should be familiar with the basic lunge. The lunge by itself is a great way to isolate and strengthen muscles in the legs, butt, back, and core. The lunge is categorized by many as primarily an exercise movement seen in classes geared towards women. Because of this and other false mentalities lunges are often skipped in workouts. The lunge is in fact an essential movement to help strengthen the legs and other posterior chain muscles.

After the technique of a basic unweighted lunge has been perfected, it is most likely time to increase the lunge’s intensity. How can a lunge be intensified?

1. Increase the amount of reps
One of the most obvious and easiest ways to increase the intensity of any workout is to increase the amount of reps. This type of intensity is an aerobic increase and is beneficial for all types of athletes.
2. Increase the amount of sets
This type of increase is very similar to increase the reps of a workout.
3. Increase the amount of weight
This type of intensity increase is where the kettlebells come into play in the lunge. A kettlebell is piece of gym equipment that can be quickly grabbed, used, and customized for the lunge. We recommend first started with the lightest weight in order to properly understand ones ability to do a weighted lunge.

By adding weight to a lunch, increasing the reps, and increasing the sets the kettlebell lunge becomes an intensified version of the basic lunge. Each workout using kettlebell lunges should be customized based on a person’s athleticism, strength, and mobility.

Kettlebell Lunges in Crossfit

The kettlebell lunge can sometimes be an ignored movement is some Crossfit gyms. However, the kettlebell lunge should not be overlooked. It is very beneficial in building various muscles in the body. On top of that the kettlebell lunge in and of itself has variations that can help isolate various muscles.

For example, the kettlebell lunge can be done with one or two kettlebells. They can also be done by holding the kettlebells in the hanging position near the hips, in a front rack position, or in an overhead position. Each of these various holds will isolate different muscles given an the person who is performing them added benefits in strength, mobility, and endurance.

Kettlebell Lunges for Athletes

Single-leg strength and stability are extremely important for athletes for both performance and injury reduction and thus exercises such as kettlebell lunges should be involved in your programming. If you’re strong bilaterally but can’t express this strength on one leg then you’re leaving something on the table. Almost all sports from running to throwing the javelin or swinging a golf club feature single leg or unevenly loaded movement so the benefits to athletes for single leg strength should be obvious.

Unsupported single leg work is a great way to strengthen hip stabilizers and a way to work legs without taxing the lower back too much. As noted sports performance coach at iFAST Mike Robertson states single leg work is a great way to develop stability and performance by incorporating them in your program.

Exercises such as kettlebell lunges recruit a greater amount of adductor and glute medius involvement than their bilateral counterparts. Adductor and glute strength is key in performing the lateral movements found in most ball sports. Research has demonstrated a direct relationship between adductor strength and lateral jump performance (a key indicator of athletic performance). Indeed research has also shown a significant correlation between adductor strength and proficiency in sporting movements such as the golf swing.

For those of you with a unilateral strength deficit I hope this article gives you a friendly push to start working on it. The gains in performance will be worth it.

Common Kettlebell Lunge Mistakes

While kettlebell lunges are one of the most efficient exercises you can do for your lower body, they also are one of the exercises most commonly done wrong.

So how do you not suck at this amazing exercise? By avoiding these 3 Common Mistakes!

1. Bending Your Back
While posture is important when doing bodyweight lunges, it is even more imperative when you have kettlebells in your hands. The weight of the kettlebells will make you want to lean forward and hunch your shoulders, but don’t give in to this urge! Keep your back straight, with your shoulders pulled slightly back. If you are too tired to keep your posture upright, then you should end your set. Doing kettlebell lunges with your back bent can put a lot of unnecessary stress on your lower back, so maintain that proper form!
2. Over-Extending Your Knee
Regardless of what type of lunge you are doing, bodyweight/barbell/kettlebell/etc… make sure that your front leg flexes to a 90 degree angle. Letting your knee go past the line of your toes is a common mistake, and one that puts a lot of strain on the knees.
3. Shallow Reps
The last mistake that people make when doing kettlebell lunges is not fully executing each rep. Just as the front knee should bend to 90 degrees, so should the rear leg as you lower yourself each time. Make sure that on each and every rep you are lowering yourself until your rear knee hovers no more than an inch off the ground. The higher the rear knee, the less benefit you are getting from the exercise. So go deep, and reap the full benefit from this amazing exercise!
http://www.fitmybox.com/kettlebell-lunges.html