This lunge variation is an underrated and fabulous glute building exercise, and is one of my favorites!
Rather than doing regular reverse lunges, you will place the foot of your lunging side on a towel or slider, and will slide your foot back versus stepping. This will largely remove the supporting side from the equation, so you should notice your glutes and quadriceps on the working side noticeably more.
Coaching Tips:
- Adopt your preferred foot width. Your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked position.
- On the supporting side, stand on a slider or towel. On the foot that is going to remain planted, form a tripod base by placing your weight on the back portion of your foot, and the base of your big and baby toes. These parts of your foot should remain in contact with the floor for the duration of the exercise. Pretend you are suctioning or screwing your foot to the floor.
- Keep your arms rigid, lats engaged, and pretend you are trying to crush oranges in your armpits. This will help keep your arms and the weights from swinging.
- Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine), and lightly close the space in your midsection/think about wrinkling the front of your shirt like you would during a dead bug.
- Now perform a reverse lunge, but instead of stepping back, slide your supporting leg backwards with the slider or towel.
- Once you hit your full range (a range where you are able to maintain proper form), press away from the floor with your front/planted leg and return to the top/starting position.
- Aim to do most of the work (75% or more) with your planted leg, versus pushing off with your “sliding” leg.
- When you are performing the lunges, pretend you are “pulling” your body down with your leg. Don’t just mindlessly drop down.
- Do not relax or lose tension when you are in the bottom position.
- For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your knees to fall inside or outside of your feet. For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso, and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, torso, spine, or hips to rotate, or hip to drop on one side.
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
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