The lunge and stepup are single-leg exercises that work similar muscles and have similar movement patterns. Both exercises help develop leg strength and improve coordination and balance. However, the stepup requires a greater range of motion in the hip joint and uses more stabilizing muscles than the lunge.
Lunge
The lunge primarily targets the quadriceps, glutes and hamstrings. Perform the basic body-weight lunge by standing with your feet hip-width apart and taking a comfortable step forward while keeping your torso upright. Drop your back knee down until it almost touches the floor. The top of your front thigh should be parallel to the floor. Return to your starting position, and repeat on the opposite leg.
Altering your stride length can change the muscle emphasis of the lunge. A larger step forward stresses your glutes and hamstrings more , whereas a shorter step forward stresses your quadriceps, notes Frederic Delavier, author of "Strength Training Anatomy."
Stepup
Stepups also primarily targets the quadriceps, glutes and hamstrings. However, a stepup requires more stabilizing muscles in the abdominals and back than the lunge, making it a more challenging exercise. The stepup also requires a greater extension of the hip joint, which emphasizes your glutes and hamstrings more.
Perform a stepup by placing one foot on a bench or step. Keeping your torso upright during the movement and your knees pointing forward, set one foot on the bench by extending your hip and knee. Bring your second foot up to the bench, and place it next to your first foot. Step down with your second leg, followed by your first leg, and repeat alternating between the right and left legs. Increase your step distance from the bench to shift the muscle emphasis to your glutes and hamstrings, or decrease it to stress your quadriceps.
Lunge Variations
A static lunge is the easiest version and suitable for beginners if balance and coordination is an issue. In the static lunge, your feet remain in a fixed position throughout the movement, and your torso just moves up and down. Make the lunge more difficult by placing a barbell on your shoulders or holding dumbbells at your sides.
Performing walking lunges, lunging onto a step, lunging to the side or performing jump lunges are also ways to increase the intensity of the lunge. Incorporating biceps curls or shoulder presses can also increase the intensity and improve your upper-body strength.
Stepup Variations
Adjusting the step height is the easiest way to make the stepup easier or more difficult; the taller the bench, the greater the challenge of the exercises. Adding weight with a barbell or dumbbell also increases the intensity of the stepup. Stepups can be performed laterally by standing next to the bench -- instead of facing it -- and stepping up onto the bench, or by performing step-downs in which you begin on the bench and step down then back up.
References
- ExRx.net: Step-up
- T-Nation: Single-Leg Supplements
- "Strength Training Anatomy"; Frederic Delavier; 2001
