Lateral lunges are very important exercises for strengthening the lower body because they allow you to effectively train the glutes, quadriceps and hamstrings, while also improving balance, stability and general coordination of the body.
Although apparently simple movements are necessary to perform them, they are often performed incorrectly, with the consequence that the promised benefits do not materialize completely, or not at all, and that the risk of injury increases.
together and hands at your hips.
Then make sure that the foot, knee, hip bone and moving leg are aligned with each other, and focus on shifting your weight back to engage your glutes.
Bending of the back
Incorrectly arching the back could place excessive weight on the pelvis and, consequently, cause pain in the lower back and knees, as well as promoting pelvic floor dysfunction.
Therefore keep the spine straight. To avoid sagging or arching the lower back, focus on stretching from the tailbone and engaging the core muscles.
Wrong back position is also a mistake of leg lifts.
Excessive neck distension
If you use a mirror to look at yourself while doing side lunges, even if you are inclined to think that this helps to refine your posture, it is also likely to cause you to stretch your neck muscles too much, putting a lot of pressure on the area and lower part. of the back, and thus preventing an "optimal activation of the core.
The neck should only form a slight curve, so it would be best to avoid looking up while doing side lunges.
Excessive torsion of the trunk
When leaning to one side during the side lunge, it is easy to over-rotate the body. However, this can strain the muscles, knees, lower back, and hip flexors.
So keep your torso squared forward and focus on your upper body posture even as you lower yourself down.
Furthermore, it is essential to focus on maintaining the balance above the hip joint. This can help not to put too much pressure on the hip flexors and to feel the connection between the work done under the buttocks and in the external hips.
Wrong position of legs and feet
If you keep your feet too close together, your knee may move laterally beyond the ankle after stepping to the side, possibly causing pain.
Then assume a wide position with your feet parallel to each other, so that you have enough room to move sideways, back and forth with the legs, which must remain aligned with the feet, from the knees to the pelvis bones.
Use of the coccyx
Although side lunges affect the glutes, hamstrings, and hips, you should never try to activate these muscle bands by bending the tailbone as this could lead to knee discomfort, lower back pain, and pelvic floor dysfunction.
Then stretch upwards, leaving the coccyx and pelvic floor as neutral as possible, but activating the upper part of the body.
Feet turned out
Keeping the feet pointed outward, and therefore in the wrong position, can put a lot of pressure on the knees and prevent the muscles of the buttocks from working in the best way. By holding this posture, the hip flexors are also stressed.
Then check the position of the feet and make sure they are parallel to each other or with the toes pointing a little "inward".
Keeping them in the latter way helps to feel the glutes working more easily and to keep the pressure and pain away from the knees.
All the weight on the heels or on the outside of the feet
When performing the lateral lunges, to improve the activation of the hamstrings and the lower part of the buttocks, it is necessary that the weight is homogeneous on the whole foot and not only on the heels.
So concentrate on distributing it as evenly as possible, so as to feel some weight also under the toes and even the toes and in particular under the big toe.
