Squats, leg presses, leg curls, leg extensions…if you are like most people, these are probably the basic exercises that make up your leg workout. While squats are the all around best for building up strong legs, and the other exercises have benefits of their own, I’d like to talk about another excellent leg exercise that you probably aren’t doing. It is the basic lunge, or if you have already developed strong legs, the weighted lunge.

Lunges are a terrific exercise because they work your quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes, helping to build muscle and strength, improve your athletic ability as well as your balance. When you start out, you can do them with just your body weight as resistance. Even if you already have pretty intense leg workouts, you will likely be sore after your first day of lunges. They work some areas of your muscles that you will not be used to, meaning you will realize new gains in both size and strength. After you are used to the movement and you have built up your legs, you can hold a dumbbell in each hand to increase the resistance.

Lunges are a fairly easy exercise to perform. Begin with both legs together, standing straight up. Extend your left leg forward, bending at your left knee, so that your left foot is flat on the ground in front of you. Your right heel should come off the ground as your right knee moves downward so that it almost touches the floor. At this time, your left thigh should be parallel to the ground. Hold this position for 1 second, then return to the starting position. Repeat this movement, this time stepping forward with your right leg instead. This is one rep. Make sure to keep your back straight while performing the lunge. Start out by doing 3 sets of 8-10 reps. This should be enough for you to feel the work of the exercise both during your workout and for the next day or two.

Check out some videos of how to properly perform the squat on YouTube by clicking here.