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"name": "KC Clements, MS"
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"name": "Warrior Made",
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"headline":"How To Do A Low Side Lunge With Perfect Form",
"datePublished":"2018-01-12",
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"description":"Learn How To Do A Low Side Lunge With Perfect Form.",
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<article>
<div>
<ul>
<li><a href="#section1">Instructions</a></li>
<li><a href="#section2">Things to Keep in Mind</a></li>
<li><a href="#section3">Conclusion</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<section>
<p>When you think of lunges, you probably imagine the classic—from a standing position, step forward or backward, drop your knee to the floor, then stand back up. What you may not know is that lunges can also be a lateral movement from side to side. This direction allows you to target the inner thighs in addition to the outer quads, glutes, and hamstrings. Here we’ll teach you a challenging variation of the side lunge that uses a low position to hit the muscles of the lower body hard: the low side lunge.</p>
<p>To perform the low side lunge, start in a wide stance. Bend your right leg and lower yourself toward the ground as you extend your left leg out fully. Stay low to the ground and press your weight to the left, now bending your left leg and extending your right leg out fully. Shift smoothly between these two positions until you’ve completed the set. Most of us don’t move like this on a day-to-day basis. The low side lunge offers a unique opportunity to build up the muscles of the inner thighs and lower body while opening up the hips.</p>
<p>We recommend that beginners start with Sumo squats before moving on to more challenging variations. Begin with your feet hip-width apart. Lift your right leg then rotate it outward at the hip. Place your right foot on the floor so that you’re in a wide stance. Drop into a partial squat, then drag your left foot to meet your right to return to standing. Now perform the move again, this time rotating your left leg out instead. If you need a little extra support, place your hands on your thighs for balance. Besides being a powerful lower-body strength trainer, the wide stance on this move especially emphasizes the oft-overlooked inner thighs.</p>
<p>From there, try out the high side lunge, a modified version of the low side lunge. Perform the move exactly the same as the low side variation, but only drop down as far as you can comfortably. This move lets you work your way up to the advanced low side lunge at your own pace by dropping lower and lower down as you adjust to the movement. Just like its more challenging counterpart, benefits of this move include building quad, glute, and hamstring strength while boosting your balance and stability.</p>
<p>Now, let’s learn how to do the perfect low side lunge!</p>
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<section id="section1">
<h2>Instructions</h2>
<ol>
<li>Begin in a wide stance with your toes pointed out at a 45-degree angle. Bring your legs as far apart as you can while maintaining balance. Put your hands out in front of you for balance.</li>
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<li>Bend your right knee and shift your weight to the right to lower yourself toward the ground. As you do this, extend your left leg out fully.</li>
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<li>Press through your right foot and shift your weight toward the left. Keep your body low to the ground as you do this.</li>
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<li>Now bend your left knee and extend your right leg out fully.</li>
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<li>Continue alternating between the two positions until you’ve finished a set.</li>
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<h2>Things to keep in mind</h2>
<ul>
<li>Stay as low to the ground as you can for the entire movement. This ensures that you’re working hard through the full set rather than resting between repetitions.</li>
<li>The knees always should go in the same direction as the toes to avoid pain or injury. Look down at your femur—the large thigh bone—and make sure that it is always in alignment with your toes.</li>
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<li>The heel of your bent leg should stay on the ground during the lunge while the toes of your extended leg should come off the ground and point upward.</li>
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<li>Maintain good posture throughout the movement and don’t allow yourself to hunch forward as you lunge. Pull the shoulders back, open the chest, and stay as tall as you can all the way up to the top of your head.</li>
<li>If you want, try holding a small weight in front of you to counterbalance yourself and open your hips up even more.</li>
</ul>
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<section id="section3">
<h2>Conclusion:</h2>
<p>It’s crucial that you recognize your limits on this move so you don’t hurt yourself. But this exercise is also a great opportunity to push yourself. The further you’re able to go safely, the more incredible benefits you get from this exercise. That said, start slow and focus on hitting all your cues for each individual rep. Over time, you can drop lower down and really pick up the pace.</p>
<p>We recommend testing out the high side lunge before tackling this advanced version of the exercise. This exercise will help you increase your strength and flexibility so that you can shift to the low side lunge at the speed that’s right for you. If you’re not quite ready for either of the side lunges, begin with the Sumo squat. That’s the perfect starter move to ease you into the side lunging movement without risking pain or injury.</p>
<p>You’ve got all the cues you need to do the best low side lunge, so why not try it out? Incorporate a few sets of this challenging move into your next workout or try doing some low side lunges in the morning while you wait for your coffee to brew! </p>
<p>If this exercise is too difficult, try <a target="_blank" href="https://www.warriormade.com/content/exercise/perfect-form-high-side-lunge/">High Side Lunges</a>.</p>
</section>
</article>
