Does your back often ache after a long backpacking adventure? Do you want to feel stronger for your next uphill climb? If so, you might need to add a few lunge step ups to your daily bodyweight routine. Here’s why and how.
What Lunge Step-Ups Are
The lunge step-up is a hybrid bodyweight exercise designed to target your glutes, quads, and hamstrings. Quite obviously, it’s composed of two bodyweight exercises:
- Lunge (but more like the reverse lunge)
- Step-Up
Why Do Lunge Step Ups
Lunge Step-Ups, as mentioned above, can help strengthen your quads and glutes. Thus, if you find yourself often suffering from backaches after carrying heavy bags for a long time, lunge step ups can be the solution. You may perform them to:
- train your balance
- strengthen your glutes and back
- gain better stability when climbing
How To Perform A Lunge Step-Up
Lunge step up only require two steps to perform. Take note that we emphasize a bodyweight version here, but you can always add weights later once you’ve regained control over your balance.
The Lunge & Step-Up Combo
- First up, you’ll do a backward lunge from a standing position. Remember to swing your arms by your sides to keep your body stable. Now assume you first perform a right-foot backward movement.
- To proceed to the step-up part, pick yourself from the lunge position. Instead of standing back to the starting position, direct your right leg to a step-up.
Now do the lunge again using the same (right) leg and follow through with a step-up. Perform the duo in 8 reps and try it with your other leg.
Do The Lunge Step-Up Weekly
Once you get the hang of this exercise, try doing a workout with it. Perform 2 to 3 of the lunge step-up twice weekly, and you’ll soon have stronger quads and better endurance for your next uphill flight!
Here’s the short demo of this simple but effective body weight exercise.
Credits: DAREBEE/YouTube
