Brrrr… It’s been cold almost everywhere! And I’ll be the first to admit that getting out of bed and getting started on cold mornings is hard.
But there’s no better way to warm up and get the blood flowing than exercising.
Our move today is a side lunge. This movement can be done with extra weight (hand weights) for added resistance or on its own. This exercise will work your entire lower body with an emphasis on your inner thighs. It’s a crossover movement, sort of a mix of squats and lunges, giving you options to target hard-to-reach areas.
Begin this exercise by standing in a wide stance. With your toes pointing forward, keep your chest up and contract your abs. If you choose to have additional resistance, hold the hand weights tucked into your chest or positioned on each hip. If you choose the no-resistance route, tuck your arms across your chest or place your fists on each hip as well.
Once you’re in position and feeling strong, you’re ready to start moving.
Keeping your upper body upright and strong, proceed to bend one knee. As you begin to bend that knee, focus on pushing your rear back, as if you were trying to sit up in a chair. This will be very similar to a single leg squat.
Meanwhile, your opposite leg will remain planted firmly on the floor and simply extend while keeping it in a straighter position. This is the lunge side of the move.
Keep an eye on your body’s upright position and keep your abs tight throughout the movement for more power. At your lowest position, focus on keeping your knee bent slightly behind the ball of your foot.
When you’re ready to return to the top, start pushing up with that bent leg and really focus on the inner thigh of your straight leg to bring your body back up to the starting position.
Now, reverse your movement and repeat everything on the opposite side. Continue this side lunge exercise for at least 10 repetitions. At this point, you can take a short break and then repeat for at least two or three more sets.
This is a great move to add to any lower body routine, giving you all the great benefits of lunging and squatting, but only doing one change of direction.
Keep this exercise somewhat shallow for a few reps, so you can determine a good range of motion for your ability.
Now get out there and warm up!
Marlo Alleva, group fitness coordinator at Fontaine-Gill YMCA, can be reached at [email protected]
