30 day lunge challenge

Welcome to June’s 30 day lunge challenge, which is all about sculpting the legs! The exercise is lunges, and we are in for a lower body blast with this one. That’s because lunges are one of the most effective lower body exercises you can do. They effectively work several muscle groups. These groups include your quadriceps (front of the thigh), the glutes (butt), calves, and even your hamstrings (back of the thigh).

You can do this exercise practically anywhere, with or without equipment. This means you can lunge in place in your living room, down the driveway, or even down a hallway in your house. The variations and modifications let you customize your routine and ramp up the challenge for the experts. This challenge can meet the demands of any exerciser.

If you can keep up with this challenge, your bottom half will thank you in 30 days! Use the calendar to stay on track and get stronger with every set you complete. Keep in mind that the number listed in the challenge is per leg. So on the first day, you will want to do five lunges on each leg, and so on. As the numbers get larger, consider breaking into smaller sets like five or 10 and switching legs. Or mix in another type of lunge (see modifications), since there are many to choose from. Before you begin, always remember that form is very important and technique is critical to your success. See safety cues and form instructions below.

Forward lunge:

1. Start with your chest lifted, chin up, abs contracted, feet parallel and hip-distance apart, and knees soft.
2. Take one giant step forward and lower your body slowly, bending both knees so that you create two 90-degree angles, and then return to standing.
3. Repeat on the other side for one repetition.

Safety cues:

• While stepping and lowering, remember to bend your knees no more than 90 degrees and keep your front knee right over your front ankle.
• Make sure you aren’t leaning too far forward or back while doing the exercise or rounding your spine.
• Keep your knees aligned with the front knee over the shoe and the back knee pointing down.

To add more variety, you can turn this into a backward lunge or a side lunge.

Modifications:

• Backward lunge – Same as the forward lunge, but step back instead of forward.
• Walking lunges – These are the same as the forward lunges, but you walk while alternating legs.
• Side lunges – These are lunges to either side of the body. Start with your feet hip-width apart. Then engage your core and take a large step to either side of the body, making sure to sit your hips back and making sure your knee does not extend past the toe. Keep your leg relatively strait. Finally, push through the extended foot to return and complete one repetition.
• Jumping lunges – To add a little bit of a challenge, you can add in a jump to the forward lunge. This means you switch legs midair, like scissors, and land on the opposite leg.

Good luck — and remember to tag your friends to join in! After all, summer is right around the corner and it’s beach body season!

Want to work your whole body? Click to check out our other 30 day challenges.