| Krismiss
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I'm still working on doing lunges properly, but I just don't have the technique yet. I know I'm not effective enough to really benefit from this exercise.
What is comparative to a lunge that would give me the most benefit until I get my technique down pat?
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Mon Apr 30, 2007 11:11 am |
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| oldpjams
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| You could use a step with dumbells. |
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Mon Apr 30, 2007 1:06 pm |
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| Krismiss
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| Really?? Just stepping up on it and back down? Awesome!! I know lunges are really good for your glutes, that's what I want to work. |
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Mon Apr 30, 2007 2:03 pm |
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| oldpjams
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| Using a small stepstool in front of a mirror, yes, you can do that. Make sure the center of your kneecap stays over your second toe. Don't let your knee fall inward or outward. Deadlifts and squats aren't bad either. |
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Mon Apr 30, 2007 2:18 pm |
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| maltby_gardner
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| Of all the exercised I'm doing for my glutes right now (squats, traveling lunges, step, deadlifts), I can definitely feel the deadlifts the most. |
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Mon Apr 30, 2007 4:34 pm |
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| cyclechic
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I wasn't (am not) good at lunges either. I took a muscle pump class and the instructor helped us get the form down
What helped me w/ form was learning to do squats first with my knees against a chair seat. You just squat like you are going to sit down, leaning forward with your butt stuck out the back, barely touch the chair seat and push back up. when pushing back up sqeeze in your glutes and power up from there thus taking the strain off your knees. (this was the part no one ever told me :confused: Once you are comfortable w/ your form just take away the chair.
After learning those we moved to lunges. We used our pole weight as a balance to keep from tipping over until we got our form down ( a broom would work) hold the broom in one hand like a staff (same hand as back leg). Once I had learned from squats to get my butt sticking out backwards (it felt like it was really sticking out) and leaning forward some, my knee was in proper position and never went past my toes and I could power up w/ my glutes.
Another exercise I do for quads and glutes (to get ready for skiing) are wall sits.
simply put your back against a wall, slide down until your body is a 90 degree angle to your upper legs and your upper legs are a 90 degree angle to your lower legs ( less if you are just beginning angle less) cross your arms and just sit there. When I first started I couldn't even do 30 seconds of these if I went down to a full 90 degree knee bend. Now I can do 2 minutes whoo hoo!
Just a couple of reps of these on a regular basis and you are rocking and rolling!
Hint have a chair handy to grab onto - your legs feel like jelly even after a short time!
Hope these help and good luck getting those legs and glutes into shape! |
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Mon Apr 30, 2007 4:48 pm |
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| Krismiss
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| Thank you so much!!! |
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Mon Apr 30, 2007 5:37 pm |
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| luvs_torun
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| Running hills..... :D |
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Mon Apr 30, 2007 6:26 pm |
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| maltby_gardner
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| My fanny is in desperate need of work. It's very flat as-is and will only get flatter as I lose more weight. I need to seriously work my glutes or I swear, I will look deformed. :lol: |
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Mon Apr 30, 2007 7:52 pm |
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| Krismiss
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| Yeah, me too. It was only when I carried some weight that I had some shape. Once I lost it....I lost everything. I told a friend I "literally exercised my butt off" lol. I figure good exercises could maybe firm it up at least. |
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Mon Apr 30, 2007 8:25 pm |
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| maltby_gardner
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| Well now that my waist is re-appearing, I have shape side to side. It's front to back where I'm shape challenged, my bust and my fanny are shrinking. |
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Mon Apr 30, 2007 10:01 pm |
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| Krismiss
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"my bust and my fanny are shrinking"
Ditto. Nice while it lasted, but the extra boobage came with extra arm fat, thigh fat, belly fat, lol. I miss 'em though. |
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Mon Apr 30, 2007 10:06 pm |
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| maltby_gardner
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| Don't actually miss mine. Growing up with a mother that was way over-endowed disabused me of any idealized expectations of the advantages of a large bosom! |
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Mon Apr 30, 2007 11:04 pm |
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| coastal_mom
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| I am a pear shape and some of these exercises I would love to do...just depending on the day...I sometimes have trouble with knees...now the stair thingy..would that be more gentle on my knees. I can most of the time do lunges...just sometimes struggle with that. :wink: |
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Mon May 14, 2007 2:28 pm |
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| maltby_gardner
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| I find that if I do the squats either against the wall with a stability ball at my back or with the stability ball on the floor in front of me, with my hands on it for support, it's easier on my knees. |
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Mon May 14, 2007 3:00 pm |
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