The Clockwork Lunge is a powerful way to shape and tone your glutes. You will have one sore butt after doing this exercise.
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For week five of my 52 Tips for Health and Fitness Success #5 where each week I write a post sharing health or fitness tip or tips that I find useful in my daily life and today I want to introduce you to the Clockwork Back Lunge:
In my second week of my 52 Tips for Health and Fitness #2 I gave you the 30-day squat challenge. Squats are a great way to build strength in our legs and buttocks. American Council on Exercise certified fitness professionals found that squats are the most popular exercise for achieving shapely legs and rear ends, closely followed by the Lunge.
The lunge is a simple exercise that should be part of your weekly routine because of the huge impact it has on the shape and strength of your legs and buttocks. It also requires a significant amount of core control and engagement to do properly. We should always be strengthening our core. It is our strength center.
There are several different types of lunges, front, rear, side and walking.
Why do this back vs. forward?
Although the muscles affected are identical between a forward and backwards lunge, the reverse lunge can be a safer option. The reverse lunge places less stress on your knees because it is easier to form the 90-degree angle between your thigh and calf and to keep your knee aligned with your ankle.
It is easier to hold your balance in reverse lunge because the center of gravity always remains between the two feet. For the forward lunge, the center of gravity moves forward of the body during the forward stepping motion, so the reverse lunge may be an option for people who have problems with balance.”
Because we are doing three moves consecutively doing this exercise backwards is safer.
To perform the backward lunge, stand straight with your legs together, your hands on your hips for balance your chest forward and your shoulders back. Slowly step back with your right leg and bend your left to form a 90-degree angle between your thigh and calf. Your rear knee should also be within inches of the ground. Exhale and extend your forward leg to stand and bring your rear leg to the starting position.
Now to do the Clockwork backwards lunge. Using the same lunge technique imagine you are standing in the center of a large clock.
Lunge back with your right leg and place your foot on where 4 o’clock would be on your clock, bring your left foot back to meet your right, only lightly allowing your foot to touch the floor and lunge back a second time to where the 5 o’clock would be bringing your left foot back to meet your right and continue for back to touch your left foot where the 6 o’clock would be and lunge back to and return back to the starting position.
That is one rep. You will do 16 reps. Yes you can!
Then switch to your left foot going back touching where the 8:00 is on the clock bring your foot back to meet your left, then lunge back to where the 7:00 is on the clock bring your foot back to meet your left and then lunge back to where the 6:00 bringing your foot back to meet your left.
Again this is one rep and you will do 16 reps.
Take a break and repeat.
The foot that is lunging back should only lightly tap the floor when you are back in the starting position. This should be a continuous movement so that the muscle does not have time to rest.
