and give your inner thighs and glutes that extra grilling (check out the Your email address will not be published. He’s not just an armchair fitness expert; Patrick practices what he preaches! But, regardless of what you chose, always have in mind that proper form is a key element to consider. Squats and lunges are two of the best exercises for strong and lean legs. Lunges and split squats share certain similarities that make them easy to confuse. To cite a full definition, the squat is a compound, total-body exercise beneficial for both strength training and injury prevention. Build Muscle and Strength with Reverse Pyramid Training, 10 Ways to Make Any Exercise More Effective, 6 Best Resistance Band Exercises To Get Stronger. Balancing is easier with squats, and that means you should be able to lift more weight, and it’s lifting heavy weights that increase strength. you should opt for lunges. The main advantages and benefits of this exercise are: Despite typically using less weight than squats, it’s still important that you lunge correctly to get the most from this exercise while keeping your risk of injury as low as possible. squat your rear leg rests throughout the exercise, meaning that all the weight How are lunges a single-leg exercise when you are using both legs at the same time? Note: The side lunge and lateral lunge … This is a great squat variation, because it does not only work you lower body, but also builds your explosive power and sends your heart rate through the roof. Because lunges involve quite a lot of balance and coordination, they are generally not done with really heavy weights. • Shift weight to one side and squat into lunge position, • Push hips back and keep knee of bent leg above toes, • Make sure toes of both feet point forward, • Straighten bent leg, return to starting position. So, what’s the deal? Greater strength – if you want strong legs, you gotta squat! Decline Push-Up Exercise: Muscles Worked, How-To and Variations, Wall Sit Exercise Guide – Benefits, How-To, and Variations, Butt Kicks Exercise Guide Variations & Videos, Cable Standing Row Exercise Guide & Videos, The Cable Triceps Pushdown Exercise Guide & Videos, Cable Straight Arm Pulldown Exercise Guide and Videos, How To Do Cocoons Exercise Guide and Videos, Cable Wrist Curl Exercise Guide and Videos, Best Running Shoes For Heavy Men Reviewed For 2020, 12 Best Powdered Peanut Butter Products Reviewed For 2020. Married to my lovely wife together with whom I think about lifestyle design, personal development and smart fitness. side at a time. Going to the gym, or following an exercise program at home, you will definitely have this common conundrum. leg behind. Well, that’s a squat. Squats and lunges can help you build muscle mass. Both are excellent for your lower abs, and the entire abdominal section. ankles and hips, which is important for preventing injuries. You don’t need to pick one and forget the other. Make lunges even better for your glutes by adding a deficit. In fact, it’s hard to think of more than a couple of entirely bilateral sports. While this is the most well-known squat exercise, it’s just one of many. As with squats, there are lots of different lunge variations to choose from. If you have knee pain, you may need to experiment with both these exercises to find the one that’s the least painful. Once you are confident in your strength Always make sure that your knee is aligned with your second foot and that it never goes past your front foot, otherwise, you risk injuring your knee. The main muscles involved in squats are: While squats are most definitely a lower body exercise, your upper body gets in on the act too. squats and different squat variations may be more suitable for you. Once you master these movements, and if you want extra results, start adding additional weight. a bit more difficult by adding weight. Squats 101. There are lots of squat variations, covered in the next section, but they all share certain commonalities. front and the rear leg with equal distribution of your weigh, while in the Required fields are marked *. Squats Rest for 90 seconds to 2 minutes between sets. Subscribe to our mailing list and get interesting stuff and updates to your email inbox. Look straight forward.