Lunge and Chest Pass to Partner with a Medicine Ball

Start by standing tall with perfect posture, facing your partner. Lunge forward as you throw the medicine ball to your partner using a chest pass. Your partner will catch the ball while performing a backward lunge. Repeat, lunging forward and backward. Remember to push off the front leg and be sure that your front knee stays over your front foot while lunging. Continue for 30–60 seconds each side.

Variations: Add a small step forward for deeper lunge progressions.

Partner Upper Body Exercise

Lunge and Full-Body Rotation. Start facing sideways to your partner, holding one end of one tube in your hands. Lunge your outside leg (leg farthest away from your partner) forward while simultaneously rotating to the outside of your body. Press up and backward and do 8–20 reps one side; then repeat on the other side. Be sure that, while lunging, your front knee stays over your front foot and you always push from the leg in front. Both people lunge simultaneously.

Variations:

• Step forward (entry-level variation).
• Perform a deep lunge (more advanced variation).

Side to Side Lunge with Medicine Ball

The side to side lunge is a great way to warm up and strengthen the glutes, hips and thighs. Adding a medicine ball makes the exercise more intense and forces you to engage the core to keep the body in proper alignment.

1. Stand with feet wide, toes out at about a 45-degree angle and hold the medicine ball or weight at chest level.
2. Lunge to the right, bending the knee and taking care to keep the knee behind the toe. Touch the ball to the floor while keeping the abs engaged and the back flat (don't round the shoulders).
3. Stand up, bringing the weight to the chest.
4. Repeat the lunge on the left side.
5. Do 1-3 sets of 10-16 reps. One rep is a lunge to the right and left.

Tips:

• Keep your knee in line with your toe as you lunge. If the knee angles in or out, adjust the angle of your toes.
• Press through the heel of you foot as you push up from the lunge to engage your glutes.
• Avoid letting the knee bend over the toe by sitting back into the heel.

Turning Lunge

If you want a dynamic and functional lunge, this turning lunge is a great choice. In this move, you pivot around and lunge diagonally behind you, taking the weights towards the floor and engaging the glutes, quads and even the core. You may even feel your heart rate rising with this move. Just make sure you pivot on the foot as you turn to avoid tweaking the knee.

1. Begin the move facing forward, holding weights in each hand, if desired.
2. Turn to the left at a diagonal, pivoting on the right foot while stepping forward with the left foot into a lunge, taking the weights towards the floor. Make sure your abs are engaged to protect the back.
3. Keep the right leg straight as you lunge and keep the front knee behind the toe.
4. Push back up, turning so that you face forward again.
5. Do the same move to the right, this time lunging forward with the right foot and keeping the left leg straight.
6. Push back to start and repeat, alternating sides, for 1-3 sets of 10-16 reps.

Lunge Sweep with a Kettlebell

The lunge sweep with a kettlebell is a great whole body exercise. The lunges target the muscles of the hips, glutes and thighs while the kettlebell swing challenges the arms and core as well as balance, coordination and stability. This advanced move isn't easy, so start with no weight or hold a light medicine ball in both hands the first time around. Watch the floor as you pivot - if you have carpeting, you may need to walk the feet around to shift from side to side.

1. Begin with feet wider than the hips and hold a kettlebell or weight in the right hand.
2. Pivot and turn the body to the right so that you're in a split stance and lower into a lunge. Keep the front knee behind the toe.
3. As you push back up, swing the weight up and over the head as you pivot back to the front.
4. Switch the kettlebell to the left hand as you pivot to the left, lowering into a lunge and taking the weight down to the floor.
5. Continue alternating sides while swinging the weight up and over for 1-3 sets of 8-10 reps (1 rep includes lunging to the right and left).
6. If you're advanced, you can toss the weight to the other hand at the top of the motion. If you're a beginner, you can keep the weight at chest level rather than swinging it overhead.

If you don't have a Kettlebell, then use a hand weight.

Side Lunge

Side lunges are a great way to vary your lunges and put more emphasis on the inner thighs along with the glutes, quads and hips. Side lunges also help you work on balance and stability and are perfect for building strength for sports that involve lateral movement like tennis, racquetball or handball.

1. Step out to the right, keeping the left leg straight and both feet pointing forward.
2. As your right foot hits the ground, bend at the hips and push your glutes back as you shift all the weight to your right leg.
3. Lunge down until the shin is vertical to the floor and the right knee is in line with your toes, both heels flat.
4. Push into the heel back to starting position and repeat on the other side for 1-3 sets of 10-16 reps.

Form Pointers

Avoid stepping too far out, which can compromise your form and cause you to twist the knee inward. You should step far enough that the shin is straight and the knee is in line with the toes.

Front and Reverse Lunge

One way to add variation and intensity to a traditional lunge is to try a front and reverse lunge, all in the same exercise. By lunging forward, you're challenging your front hips, glutes and quads to stop momentum against gravity. Stepping back into a knee lift challenges your balance and moving into a reverse lunge on the same leg will work those muscles differently, making this a great overall lower body exercise. Avoid this exercise if you experience any pain or discomfort.

1. Begin with feet about hip-distance apart and step forward with the left leg into a lunge. Make sure the knee doesn't go over the toes (although it may go slightly over the ankle).
2. Concentrate on landing with the knee bent and the weight in the heel.
3. Push into the front heel to bring the left foot back. Touch the floor if you need to and then lift the left knee up to hip level.
4. Take the left leg back into a reverse lunge, again keeping the front knee behind the toes.
5. Push off the left toes to come back to start.
6. Repeat for 8-16 reps on the same leg (one rep includes both a front and reverse lunge) and switch sides. You can also alternate sides.
7. Hold onto a wall for balance, if needed. For more intensity, hold weights (as shown).

Medicine Ball Exercise 5

Medicine Ball Lunge Crossovers
1. Stand with feet hip width apart. Take left leg and step back approximately 2 feet standing on the ball of the foot.
2. Start position: Feet should be positioned at a staggered stance with head and back erect and straight in a neutral position. Hold medicine ball in front of your chest.
3. Lower body by bending at hip and knee until thigh is parallel to floor. Body should follow a straight line down towards the floor. As you are lunging reach to one side of the leg with the ball.
4. Return to start position and repeat by reaching to the opposite side with the ball. Alternate or switch to other leg after prescribed reps.

Leaning Lunge Combo

A -Hold a dumbbell in each hand at sides, palms facing body, and lunge forward with right leg, lowering left knee to the ground. Lean forward from the hips.

B -Straighten right leg and rise up as you raise left leg behind you, foot flexed. Lunge forward with your left leg on the next rep. Continue alternating sides with each rep.

Do 20 reps!

Back Strengthening - LUNGE

Lunge

How to do it: With your abs gently contracted and hands on hips, take a big step forward with your right foot. Sink down so your right knee is at a 90-degree angle, then push back to the starting position without pausing. Repeat 8 to 12 times, then switch legs and repeat.

What it does: Improves whole-body control, which is key to protecting the spine during walking, running, or stair-climbing. Recruits both surface and deeper stabilizing muscles along the sides, glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calves.

Make it harder: Set up to do a basic lunge, but this time step your right foot out on a diagonal, not straight ahead, as if the foot is pointing to 2 o’clock on a clock face. (When you lunge with the left foot, step it out to 10 o’clock.) The change in foot placement makes it harder to balance. As you get stronger, try it with your hands interlaced behind your head or hold a dumbbell in each hand to increase resistance.

BOSU Lunge Jump

I call these jumping lunges. I don't have my own BOSU, so I just do it in place. It's great for the quads, and it's good cardio. Do 10 of these on each side, and you might be done for the night.

Remember: Don't let your front knee go past your front toes.































Plyometric Power Lunges
Stand facing BOSU with the right foot in the middle of the dome, left foot back in a lunge stance. Bend the knees and lower into a lunge. In an explosive movement, jump up and switch legs in the air landing with left foot on the dome, right foot back. Repeat, trying to land each foot right in the middle. Repeat, alternating sides 8-10 times. March in place for 16 counts and repeat.

BOSU SQUATS

Squat Jumps over the BOSU
Begin standing next to BOSU and place the right foot in the middle of the dome. Squat down and quickly jump over the dome landing with the left foot on the BOSU in a squat. Continue back and forth over the dome, jumping higher for more intensity.

Don't have a BOSU of your own? No problem!

You can do this anywhere!

Below is an alternative:


This photo is Gary Boring and I doing side lunges/squats at Golden Gate Park.

We have our hands in front of us to maintain balance. We are making sure that our knees are not extending too much over our toes. Always smile when you do this.

Physical Training Routine

Physical Training Routine

WARM-UP

5 minutes on the seated row with a low weight

STRETCHES

Hamstring/Calf Stretch (10-15 seconds each side)

Crossed Leg Hip Opener (10-15 seconds each side)

Runner’s Lunge with hands behind your back (10-15 seconds each side)

Runner’s Lunge grabbing back leg with your hands (10-15 seconds each side)

Leaning over hamstring/side back stretch (10-15 seconds)

Leaning over inner thigh/side of back stretch (10-15 seconds)

Seated torso stretch (10-15 seconds)

Rear shoulder/neck stretch (10-15 seconds each side)

Dancer torso/hip stretch (10-15 seconds each side)

Cat/Cow (10 times)

EXERCISES: 18-20 REPS EACH

Upper Body

Chest Press

Bicep curls with arms at your sides or Reverse grip bicep curls or Cable curl

Triceps (your choice)

Lateral Raise

Lateral Pull down

Chest Flyes

Lower Body

Lunges

Squats or Dumbbell Squat

Pelvic Thrust

Hamstring Curl (foot on foot)

Leg Press

Leg Curl

Leg Extension

Abs/Back

Super Girls

Super Girls with rotation

Ab curl

Ab curl combo

Oblique V-ups

Legs up to the air

Plank

Saxon side stretch