When it’s time to warm up and work on mobility, the Lateral Lunge and Cossack squat are two easy exercises (and my absolute favourites!). They are great on their own and work perfectly when paired together, making it really easy to get little flow going during your warm up.
This week the focus is primarily on the Lateral Lunge, and next time I’ll go more in depth on the Cossack squat.
LATERAL LUNGE
The Lateral Lunge is a seemingly simple exercise, but I often see it performed incorrectly. Here is a breakdown of how to properly execute a Lateral Lunge:
- From a standing position take a wide step to the right, making sure both feet stay planted flat on the ground, with toes facing forward.
- Keeping the left leg straight, squat through the right hip, while being mindful of the position of the right knee, making sure it does not track beyond the right ankle.
- Squat as low as is comfortable, while making sure to keep a neutral spine (no rounding out the lower back!) keep the head up and shoulders pulled back (not rounding forward).
- Drive through the right leg back up to a standing position, and repeat on the left side.
a. Side view of correction position
b. Side view of incorrect position
a. Front view of correction position
b. Front view of incorrect position
BENEFITS AND CONSIDERATIONS
The Lateral Lunge targets a wide array of muscles of the active leg (the side you’re squatting to), including the glutes, adductors, and quadriceps, while also providing a nice stretch to the hamstring and groin on the opposite (straight leg) side.
When adding this exercise to your warm up, take your time with it. Play around with how wide you step out, how deep you can sink your hips back, and explore how the stretch changes depending on your body positioning.
One of the main benefits of the Lateral Lunge is that it introduces a new plane of movement. So many of the exercises and activities we perform are done in the sagittal plane, done in a straight line, in front or behind us. The Lateral Lunge gives us a refreshing opportunity to take some time and reintroduce our hips to the frontal plane. This is definitely a great feeling if your joints have been locked in the same plane for too long.
STAY TUNED…
Next time we’ll dive into the Cossack Squat, which is an exercise that has definitely been getting a lot of love lately. WWE superstar Triple H even lists it as one of his favourite:
Make sure to check back for my next post!