If you want a move that will strengthen and tone your abs, butt, and legs [1] all at once, look no further than the lunge. Lunges are great for correcting any muscular imbalances you may have, and they can help increase your strength and overall power.
Hands down, my favourite variation of the lunge [2] is the walking lunge. Regardless of how fit I think I am, they still manage to fatigue my legs. Because of that, I always recommend people implement this exercise into their workouts, especially if they're looking to burn fat and build muscle [3] in their lower body.
As a trainer, I've noticed that people tend to omit what is in my opinion the most important step to properly performing walking lunges: stepping up and over the opposite knee. Stepping up and over the opposite knee recruits and activates the hip, core, and gluteus medius muscles, as opposed to solely working the quadriceps when there is no step over.
The following image demonstrates how to perform the step over.
- Stand upright, feet together, with dumbbells at your sides. Take a controlled step forward with your left leg, lowering your hips toward the floor by bending both knees to 90-degree angles. Your back knee should point toward but not touch the ground, and your front knee should be directly over your ankle.
- Press your left heel into the ground, and push off with your right foot to bring your right leg forward, stepping with control into a lunge on the other side. This completes one repetition.