Ahhh lunges… you either love ’em or hate ’em. But let’s face it, they are one helluva a good way to target your legs.

Three reasons you should be doing lunges in your strength routine:

1. Lunges mimic several of our daily movement patterns from kneeling down to help a child or tie your shoe to simply walking. Building strength through lunges will help you move better (and safer) throughout your day.
2. Lunges also train muscular imbalances. In a squat your stronger leg can dominate, but in a lunge you work one leg at a time forcing you to build strength independently in each leg.
3. Lunges challenge your balance and stabilizing muscles (including your core) important for total strength and injury prevention.

Now this isn’t to say squats and other leg exercises aren’t important too – just make sure lunges are working their way into your training routine.

Below are some trainer tips to get one more rep for a better lunge!

1. Step forward with toes pointing straight ahead
2. Lengthen up tall through your spine
3. Tighten core & lift your chest
4. Knee over toes – keep the knee stable & minimize side-to-side movement
5. Drive through your front heel, keeping your weight out of your front toes
6. Start with body weight lunges to focus on technique