Walking Lunges with Twists

Step 1

Starting Position: Stand with your feet about hip width apart. Depress and retract your scapulae (pull your shoulders down and back) without arching your low back, and "brace" (engage your abdominal/core muscles) to stiffen your spine.  Hold a medicine ball in front of your mid-section with a firm grip by both hands.

Step 2

Step forward by slowly lifting the right foot off the floor, stabilizing your body on the left (stance / supporting) leg. Maintain the abdominal bracing in order to avoid any sideways tilting or swaying in your upper body and keep the left (stance / supporting) foot pressed firmly in to the ground. Hold this position momentarily before stepping forward. The right (swing) leg should initiate contact with a heel strike first, slowly transferring your body weight into the right (leading / forward) foot placed firmly on the floor. As you lower your bodyweight into the right leg, avoid any sideways tilting or swaying in your upper body and try not to move the left (stance / supporting) foot.

Step 3

As you lunge forward, focus more on lowering your hips towards the floor rather than driving your hips forward, (think about aiming your left knee towards the heel of your right foot). This will help control the amount of forward movement of your shinbone (forward tibial translation) over your foot. Continue lowering your body to a comfortable position or until your right (front) thigh becomes parallel with the floor and your tibia (shinbone) is in a slight forward lean. While lunging, simultaneously lean forward slightly at your hips while maintaining the adominal bracing to keep the spine extended and rotate to your left while continuing to hold the medicine ball in front of your mid-section.

Step 4

From the lowered position, rotate back to the right so that you are facing straight ahead, firmly push the right foot in to the ground and pull yourself back to a standing position by drving the right knee straight back to create knee and hip extension simultaneously.  As you are pulling yourself foward with the right leg, pick the left leg off of the ground and slowly swing it forward to initiate the next lunge.

Step 5

While balancing on the right leg, step forward with the left foot off the floor, stabilize your body by maintaining the abdominal bracing in order to avoid any sideways tilting or swaying in your upper body.  Keep the right (stance / supporting) foot pressed firmly in to the ground.  The left (swing) leg should initiate contact with a heel strike first, slowly transferring your body weight into the left (leading / forward) foot placed firmly on the floor. As you lower your bodyweight into the left leg, avoid any sideways tilting or swaying in your upper body and try not to move the  right (stance / supporting) foot.

Step 6

As you continue into the next lunge with the left foot forward, keep the focus on lowering your hips towards the floor rather than driving your hips forward, (think about aiming your right (back) knee towards the heel of your left (front) foot). This will help control the amount of forward movement of your shinbone (forward tibial translation) over your foot. Continue lowering your body to a comfortable position or until your left (front) thigh becomes parallel with the floor and your tibia (shinbone) is in a slight forward lean. While lunging, simultaneously lean forward slightly at your hips while maintaining the adominal bracing to keep the spine extended and rotate to your right while continuing to hold the medicine ball in front of your mid-section.

Step 7

From the lowered position, rotate back to the left so that you are facing straight ahead, firmly push the left foot in to the ground and pull yourself back to a standing position by drving the left knee straight back to create knee and hip extension simultaneously.  As you are pulling yourself foward with the left leg, pick the right foot off of the ground and slowly swing it forward to initiate the next lunge.

Step 8

Continue the walking lunge with rotation for a specific number of repetitions or a certain distance.

Step 9

One variation is to contract the abdominals and glutes at the top of the stance phase (for example while balanced on the right leg with the left leg off of the ground) for 2-3 seconds to create a balance challenge.  Another variation is to add more resistance by holding one dumbbell in each hand with the elbows bent at 90 degrees and pressed into the sides of the abdominals.

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