The Lateral Lunge (Dumbbell) Exercise is a great way to work your hamstrings, glutes and quadriceps while stretching your groin.
The Lateral Lunge (Dumbbell) Exercise forms part of the Golf Strength and Endurance series of innovative and dynamic exercises that are designed to efficiently increase your stabilising strength – supporting proper body alignment, movement patterns, and energy transfer within the golf swing, and helping to prevent injuries.
Equipment
This exercise requires a pair of dumbbells.
This is dedicated strength exercise, so choose a weight that is heavy enough to make the movement challenging, but enables you to complete all of your repetitions (reps) with proper form. The last couple of reps should be very difficult, but make sure that you can perform them properly.
If you are performing this exercise as part of a Golf Loopy Train like a Champion System programme workout, you should be able to complete the prescribed number of reps in the allotted time with proper form – adjust your tempo accordingly.
See How Much Weight Should I Lift? for more information.
Figure 1. Lateral Lunge (Dumbbell) Exercise Video.
Steps
- Start by standing tall, in perfect posture, holding a pair of dumbbells on your shoulders with your elbows up.
- Inhale and slowly step to one side and lower your hips to the floor by squatting back and down with the stepping leg, keeping the other leg straight.
- Exhale and push off firmly with your bent leg to return to the starting position.
- Repeat the movement on your other side.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions on each side.
Try to maintain perfect posture throughout the exercise – your head over your shoulders, your chin up, chest up, your abdominal muscles engaged to stabilise your spine, and your shoulder blades back and down.
Keep your toes pointing forwards and your feet flat on the floor. Do not let your squatting knee slide over your toes – your shinbone should be vertical to the floor and your knee aligned with the second toe of your foot. Keep your weight back between your ankles and heels.
You should feel it working your glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps, and stretching your groin and the inner thigh of the straight leg.
Variation
There are a number of other lunge exercises in the Golf Loopy Train like a Champion System that offer a variety of challenges, you can see them all by clicking here.
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