Table 9.

Figure 8a–8q, Exercise 7. Lunge Progression

Phase I – Front Lunges The athlete begins by stepping forward from a standing position. The step should be exaggerated in length to the point that her front leg is positioned with the knee flexed to 90° and the lower leg completely vertical. The back leg should be as straight as possible and the torso upright. Emphasis should be placed on getting the hips as low as possible while maintaining the previously described body position. The exercise is completed by driving off the front leg and returning to the original position.
Phase II – Walking Lunges The athlete performs a lunge and instead of returning to the start position she step through with the back limb and proceed forward with a lunge on the opposite limb. Encourage the athlete to lunge her front limb far enough out so that her knee does not advance beyond her ankle during the exercise. An alternative coaching method is to instruct the athlete to attempt to maintain a constant low center of gravity and roll through the lunges. This increases the intensity of the exercise and attempts to mimic motions frequently occurring in sports.
Phase III – Walking Lunges Unilaterally Weighted The athlete performs a lunge and instead of returning to the start position she steps through with the back limb and proceeds forward with a lunge on the opposite limb while holding a dumbbell in one hand. Encourage the athlete to lunge her front limb far enough out so that her knee does not advance beyond her ankle during the exercise. This exercise is then repeated with the dumbbell in the opposite hand.
Phase IV – Walking Lunges with Plate Crossover The athlete performs a lunge and instead of returning to the start position she steps through with the back limb and proceeds forward with a lunge on the opposite limb while reaching with a weight plate to the open side of the body. Encourage the athlete to lunge her front limb far enough out so that her knee does not advance beyond her ankle during the exercise.
Phase V – Walking Lunges with Unilateral Shoulder Press The athlete performs a lunge and instead of returning to the start position she steps through with the back limb and proceeds forward with a lunge on the opposite limb while pressing a dumbbell above her head. The weight should move up and down with the same tempo and direction as the lunge. Encourage the athlete to lunge her front limb far enough out so that her knee does not advance beyond her ankle during the exercise.