If there’s one exercise I dread doing every time they’re programmed into one of my workouts, it’s lunges. This is annoying, because they’re probably one of the most popular lower-body exercises out there, so I end up doing them a lot.

The movement is pretty simple – lowering your back knee to the floor seems like something most people should be able to do, right? But despite training at a CrossFit gym and regularly doing movements like handstand push-ups and barbell snatches, lunges are the one movement I always struggle with. So why do they feel so difficult? We asked personal trainer Hannah Ashby to explain…

“A lunge is a unilateral compound movement that predominantly works the lower body,” explains Ashby. “It engages all the muscles in your legs, especially the glutes and any compound movements like this also engage your core, especially because there is a lot of balance involved.”

Lunges are great for building muscle and improving balance. In fact, a 2020 study published in the Journal Of Sport Rehabilitation found that total muscle activation was higher in a lunge than in a squat, meaning it might be one of the best movements you can do to build muscle in your lower body.

There are lots of different types of lunges: reverse, forward, walking, static. The reverse lunge is probably the one you’re used to seeing, which involves keeping one foot on the floor and stepping the other one back while bending your knee down to the floor.

“Transfer your bodyweight backwards by stepping one leg back, staying on the ball of your foot, and try to get your back knee down to the floor while keeping your chest up,” Ashby says, explaining how to do a reverse lunge. “To come out of the lunge, drive through the heel of the weight-bearing leg to return the other leg to standing position.”

The lunge is a fairly simple movement and it isn’t dissimilar to the way we move in daily life – when you walk, run or pick something up, you’ll be shifting your weight in the same way as when you lunge. Yet do them in a workout and it results in agony.

“I think the main reason a lot of people find lunges harder than exercises like squats is because lunges are a single-leg movement,” Ashby says. “You’re relying on one side of your body to carry your weight.” Lunges also require a lot of balance, which might make you feel like you lack stability.

However, another common reason that people find lunges so difficult is that they’re not doing them correctly. “The main reason people struggle with lunges is that they take a very narrow stance. If you evenly distribute your weight by keeping your legs about hip distance apart or wider, lunges should feel a lot easier,” Ashby explains. 

Standing with your feet close together while lunging prevents you from balancing properly, making the movement feel far more difficult. Ensuring you have a solid foundation, by planting your standing foot into the ground and thinking about lunging back so that your legs are on a train track rather than a tightrope, will help to make lunges feel easier.

The reason you’re finding lunges difficult might also be down to mobility issues, as good hip mobility in particular is required to do a lunge movement correctly. “Ankle mobility is also very important for lunges, especially for the leg that is moving,” Ashby says.

Struggling with lunges could also come down to an injury, like a knee injury, or an issue with any part of your lower body, because lunges engage all of the joints. If you’re dealing with pain during lunges, talk to a PT on the gym floor to check your form. 

If you are finding lunges especially difficult, it might be because you need to modify them to make them more manageable. Thankfully, there are a number of ways you can do this.

“Stand next to a wall, squat rack or something you can hold on to, to help you keep your balance,” Ashby recommends. “This means you can focus on the technical aspects of the movement without worrying about falling over.”

You can also bring the floor up to you by stacking plates or mats on top of each other underneath the leg that is lunging up. “Bring your knee to the plate or the mat instead of the floor if you are struggling with depth,” Ashby says.

Remember to always start with bodyweight and to lower the weight on the dumbbells if you’re struggling with form or discomfort. 

Find more expert-led tips and workout ideas on the Strong Women UK Instagram page.

Images: Getty