Over the next four weeks we are going to look at different variations on single leg movements starting with variations on the lunge. Single leg movements can be particularly unforgiving at strength imbalances between the left and right. And the flip side of that is they can be great at addressing left-right imbalances, which is important as any muscle imbalances tend to lead to problems and potentially injury further down the track.
Let’s get started with a simple bodyweight walking lunge, demonstrated here by CrossFit Seminar Staff member Julie Foucher.
The lunge is a relatively straightforward movement that you have no doubt executed many times before, but there are a few important subtleties that you should note in order to protect yourself from knee issues further down the track. Keeping the knee aligned to the toes is important – any sideways tracking and you’re causing unecessary wear and tear on the knee cartilage and ligaments around the knee joint. And this is exacerbated if you let the weight on your front foot shift forward onto the ball of the foot – make sure you keep the weight on your heel. This is, in fact, very hard to do when you are moving forward. It may be best to work initially on the spot and stepping the leg backwards, which makes it easier to keep on the heel of the front leg.
Lastly, don’t be in a rush to touch the knee to the floor – ensure all your alignments are perfect, hitting the right depth can come later.