BLEE

People often ask me “How do I get my butt a little perkier?” or “How can I get my inner thighs to stop jiggling?” My first answer is always this: lunges. Lunges and more lunges. I think they’re the best leg exercise ever, for a couple reasons…

First of all, they SUCK. They suck as you’re psyching yourself up to do them, as you’re doing them, afterwards…they’re just really hard. And I like things that are tough – I like challenging myself and my clients!

Also, they involve all the major and minor musculature in your lower body. You’ll probably feel it the most in your butt and quadriceps (front of the thighs), but if you have good form, you’ll also engage all the littler muscles that help stabilize your knees and ankles. The hamstrings also get a good workout if the form is correct.

So what’s the right form? I’m so thrilled to be able to tell you. When I belonged to a major gym chain I used to walk around wincing, trying to keep myself from leaping across the room and grabbing a weight out of someone’s hand, yelling, “Don’t DO that! You’re going to kill yourself! Now, let’s just all take a breath here and let me show you the right way to do this…” Lunges are especially hazardous because the exercise’s traditional form requires balance, coordination and leg muscles that all know how to work together. Most of us have maybe one or two of those components, but not all three – so here’s a couple different version of the Best Leg Exercise Ever (BLEE).

· For the coordinated athlete-type: Walking Lunges. Moving forward in space allows your hamstrings to more strongly engage, making this the most well-rounded version of the lunge. Take a long step forward and drop your back knee toward the ground, allowing the back heel to come off. Make sure that you’re stepping out long enough so that your front knee doesn’t go past your toe as your back knee drops. Keeping most of your weight in the front heel, use your front leg to power your back foot off the ground and into the next long lunge step. Keep it up until your legs are tired! It’s important to keep your upper body tall and your core strong…the tendency is to lead with your head and kind of hoist your body forward, especially as you get tired. When you can’t do them well any more, stop! Add dumbbells to make this version harder.

· For those with knee/coordination issues: Standing Lunges. Get into a long lunge stance with the front foot flat on the ground and the back leg stretched back behind you, resting on the ball of the back foot. Keep your feet in line with your hips – you don’t want one foot directly behind the other. Make sure your legs are far enough apart (length-wise) so your front knee doesn’t go past your toes, and keep your torso upright. Drop your back knee toward the ground, keeping most of you weight on your front heel. Get as close to the ground as feels comfortable, then go back up – but not all the way! If you straighten both legs, you’re more or less in a resting place…rest when you’re done! Pulse up and down until you can’t do any more, then shake out your legs and try the other side. If you have serious balance issues, stand close to a wall or post and rest one hand lightly against it.

There you have it! Gonna try to start shooting some video demos…more on that soon! Have fun with the BLEE…and remember, if you’re not hurting after these, you’re not doing them right. J And these are just a couple versions of lunges…know any other good ones you want to share?