The lower body gives us the base for everything we do. Even when performing upper body exercises and movements, theย lower body is always workingย to keep us balanced and in proper form.
Thatโs why itโs vitally important to give it enough attention in the gym. The lower body contains some of the largest muscles you have, and it takes a lot to develop them and keep them healthy. The barbell walking lunge is one of the best ways to ensure that your legs are in tip-top condition.
The ability to load heavy on a barbell along with the fact that itโs a unilateral movement makes the walking lunge a must-have in any lower body workout routine. However, to reap all of its rewards youโre going to have to learn the perfect form.
Although the movement itself is relatively simple, the barbell walking lunge used to be a favorite exercise in the old school, golden age of bodybuilding. Not only does this lunge variation give you serious leg gains, but itโs also great for toning because of the cardio conditioning it provides as well. With this lunge in your lower body repertoire, youโre going to experience leg gains like never before.
It goes without saying, but the barbell walking lunge is a great way to build lower body strength and muscle mass. Although you can use dumbbells or kettlebellsโdepending on your needs and available equipmentโthe addition of the barbell allows for even more muscle-building potential.
With dumbbells, for example, youโre also going to be battling fatigue in your posture and grip while also trying to emphasize the legs. A barbell not only avoids these issues, but youโre also able to load it up much heavier than you would be able to with a dumbbell lunge. All of this works to give your legs a bigger and better workout, allowing these muscles to be the center of your attention.ย
The lunge is a fundamentally unilateral movement, meaning youโre going to be training each of your legs individually (unlike with the conventional squat, for example). Training either side of your body individually is a good way to address muscle imbalances that might get in the way of aesthetics, and could even lead to training injuries down the road. And as a cherry on top, unilateral movements alsoย develop bilateral movement patterns.
The lunge can be modified to either have a greater or lesser range of motion. Each method targets a different muscle group (either the quads or the glutes), but the range of motion is developed nonetheless. Training at the higher ranges of motion allows your hips to slowly develop more mobility and strength over time. Not only is this a great way to help you avoid injuries in the future, but itโs also good for older folks who might be experiencing issues in this area.
Weโre reminded of the importance of our legs almost all the time. Almost any movement in our daily lives requires some level of lower body strength and mobility. Our legs also provide a base through which to carry out other actions, and so theyโre important for giving out bodies some overall stability. Ignoring leg training is a great way to put yourself at a disadvantageโnot only in the gym but also in day-to-day life.
For example, the lunge is a great way to develop glute strength and our glutes are essential for keeping our knees and hips stable. Ensuring that these joints are stable is the best way to avoid injuries and unnecessary stresses in these areas. All of this leads to higher quality training and a higher quality of life.
The quadriceps are the primary movers in the barbell walking lunge. They consist of four different muscles that come together to form one of the strongest muscle groups in your body. Your largest single muscle is the gluteus maximus which makes up the majority of your butt. As we saw above, the glutesโ role is to keep our hips and knees stable and in good functioning order.
The hamstrings also come into play since they attach to both your thigh bone and your thigh muscle. Along with the glutes, the hamstrings also give your knee joint some added support. Working together with the glutes, they add to your mobility and balance. Finally, the hip flexors and the hip adductors allow you to go through the wider ranges of motion that your legs can do. It makes sense that the lunge is a great way to train this muscle group as well.
Before you begin remember to warm up your lower body by doing a few stretches, or performing some cardio. This will get your blood pumping and your muscles primed to start working. If this is your first time performing a barbell walking lunge, itโs best that you first try the movement as a bodyweight exercise.
Youโll need enough leg strength and balance to successfully use the barbell. Down below we have a good progression guide to get you on your way to barbell lunging. Youโll want to set up a barbell with your weights on a squat rack. Set the supports so that the barbell is just a tad lower than your shoulders.
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Like we mentioned further above, you can either give yourself a set distance to walk in the walking lunge, or you can aim for a set of reps. Reps tend to be more consistent so weโll stick to those, but feel free to tweak the amount for your personal goals and the amount of space you have.
If youโre brand new to barbell lunges, youโll want to incorporate them into your workout about 2 to 3 times per week. As we said, itโs best to stick to the bodyweight version until you know what youโre doing. But if you are using a barbell and are new to the exercise, aim for 10 to 12 lunges every time you train.
For those looking to supplement their other lower body workouts with some barbell lunges, aim for 3 to 4 sets of around 10 to 15 repetitions. Alternatively, you can try going until failure to really gas out your legs. Although there are differences between strength training and training for muscle mass gains, youโll likely respond better to a high repetition routine that gives you a good pump.
When it comes to your training goals, try to incorporate variations of the lunge that work for your needs. For example, the barbell lunge is great for those looking to supplement their leg day with some heavy workoutsโhence the barbell. However, if youโre looking to tone or lose weight, try incorporating lunges into a circuit.
Jumping lunges are a great way to get a cardiovascular workout along with your leg workout. If you want to tone your upper body, include a bicep curl during each lunge. This will give you a great full-body workout thatโll leave you sculpted and powerful.
The barbell lunge is a relatively straightforward movement, but itโs always important to perform them with the best possible form. Perfecting the form will not only allow you to get the most benefits out of the workout (since the correct muscles will be engaged and developed), but youโll also better avoid injuries.
If youโre new to lunges, try simply using your body weight until you feel very comfortable with the movement pattern thatโs expected under a load. Here are some of the key things to remember when performing the barbell walking lunge during your next leg workout.
Youโre often asked to keep an upright torso in most exercises, and the walking lunge is no exception. However, this isnโt necessarily that important even though most lunge instructions will advocate for it. But in fact, the angle of your torso should be kept in a way that allows for you to easiest maintain a neutral spine. If your spine is kept straight, you donโt really have to worry about the uprightness of your torso.
Choosing an angle that works best for you will also help in properly engaging your core, optimizing the range of motion, and ensuring that your knee joints hinge properly and comfortably. Oftentimes, people will go into the lunge thinking that they have to stay upright. However, this can sometimes cause a rounding of the lower back, which is something you definitely donโt want.
The legs are the muscles of the hour when it comes to the lunge, so make sure that theyโre putting in all of the workโnot your upper body. You want to go down far enough where your knees form 90-degree angles and your back knee almost touches the floor. This will guarantee a full range of motion and allow for most muscle fibers to be engaged, and therefore, developed.
But when you drive through the front leg to stand back up, you want to make sure that youโre feeling it in your quads and glutesโand only the quads and glutes. Avoid trying to get yourself back up by leading it with your shoulders. Leading with your shoulders this way often leads to hyperextending your spine. Not only does this take away emphasis from the muscles youโre supposed to be emphasizing, but it can also be dangerous at heavier weights.
Although all lunges will hammer the quads, there is a method for focusing on either the quads or glutes more. If youโre looking to really gas out the quads, youโll want to take a smaller step during your lunge. A smaller step means that your front knee is going to track further in front of your front foot during each lunge.
Go as far past your toes as your ankle mobility will allow you, but also pay attention to comfort in the knee joint. While you can go as far as mobility will allow, donโt overdo it or else an injury will completely shut down your training. Emphasize driving through the ball of the foot to give the quads some extra work.
On the other hand, a larger step will place a greaterย emphasis on the glutes.
Taking a wider stride with every lunge means that your knee isnโt going to be able to track as far in front of your toes. Maintaining a more vertical shin stance will allow the glutes and hamstrings to be better engaged. For these, focus on driving through the heel of the foot if you want to give these muscles some extra work.
This goes for every heavy exercise out there, but you want to take things slowly until youโve built up a solid base of mobility, strength, and balance. All of these aspects are going to be important when looking to lunge successfully. And because this is a unilateral exercise, you also want to progress with unilateral exercises that challenge each of your legs individually. For example, a complete beginner should begin with simple step-ups in order to develop the muscles and balance youโll need.
Then, you can progress to things like reverse lunges, lateral lunges, Bulgarian split squats, and then walking lunges with a barbell. After youโve built up this solid base in your lower body, you can move on to things like pistol squats and single-leg skater squats. These are much more challenging variations that are a true test of lower body strength.
Forward lunges, reverse lunges, and lateral lunges are all great ways to train your legs in different planes of movement. Although theyโll all target similar muscle groups, they will emphasize different parts depending on the movement pattern.
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Bulgarian split squats and step-ups offer good alternatives if youโre not looking to do the lunge. They both offer similar muscle engagement while being unilateral movements that can be loaded up with heavier weights on a barbell.
Our legs give us the stability, strength, and power that we need to go about our daily lives. Taking care of them by strengthening them is a guaranteed method for reaching better, overall health. The barbell walking lunge is just one fantastic method of developing your legs into powerful tree trunks that canโt be shaken. Your legs have some of the largest muscles in your body, so you need to be giving them an appropriate amount of engagement for optimal results.
But big muscles also need big amounts of food and nutrients. If youโre going to be gassing out your quads, glutes, and hamstrings with lunges galore, youโre going to need to give them enough gas as well. This means plenty of proteins, fats, and healthy carbs. If youโre not experiencing the gains that you expect, try upping your protein intake.
Aย quality whey proteinย is a solid choice for anyone serious about training.
Complexity isnโt needed to build an enviable base of strength, mobility, and balance. And the lunge is an amazingly beneficial exercise in simple packaging. All it takes is some hard work, good food, enough rest, and a little patience.
