Lunges can be performed in a variety of ways to target different parts of your lower body musculature. They can be performed using your own body weight as resistance or, if you want a more demanding workout, with dumbbells or barbells. Lunges also improve balance, hip mobility and coordination. Reverse lunges involve taking a large step backward and bending your legs until your rearmost knee touches the floor.
Gluteus Maximus
The largest muscle involved in lunges is your gluteus maximus, or butt muscle. These large and powerful hip extensors must work hard to decelerate your backward momentum — this is called an eccentric contraction. Driving up and out of the bottom position of the lunge also involves a large degree of glute activation, but this time the contraction is classified as concentric.
Quadriceps
Your quadriceps on the front of your thigh are actually four individual muscles with a common insertion point just below your knee. The four muscles are rectus femoris, vastas medialis, vastas intermedius and vastas lateralis. These muscles work together to control your knee flexion and extension. The leg action in lunging places a lot of emphasis on these muscles and, subsequently, the front of the thighs are the muscles that are usually felt the most during reverse lunges.
Hamstrings
Located on the back of your thigh, the hamstrings work with your glutes in hip extension. The hamstrings work especially hard in reverse lunges because they have to contract eccentrically to decelerate your backward and downward momentum. Consisting of three muscles — biceps femoris, semitendinosus and semimembranosus — the hamstrings are also involved in flexing your knee.
Hip Flexors
Hip flexor is the collective term used to describe your psoas and iliacus muscles. The hip flexors hinge your femur or thigh bone forward. The hip flexors on your front leg help to initiate your step backward while the hip flexors on your rear leg work to decelerate your downward momentum. Spending long periods of time sitting can make your hip flexors tight. Lunges and reverse lunges can help keep these muscles flexible and your hips mobile.
References
- "The Pocket Atlas of the Moving Body"; Mel Cash; 2000
- "Strength Training Anatomy"; Frederic Delavier; 2010
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