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Learning how to do an Alternating Side Lunge with Front Raise will give you multiple benefits all in one move. Like the standard lunge, the side lunge is a great way to tighten your glutes and legs. What’s different about this lunge is the lateral movement, which incorporates both inner and outer thighs along with the usual use of glutes and quadriceps muscles.
Using all of these muscles together helps stabilize the pelvis, which helps improve core strength.
In addition, lateral moves that strengthen inner and outer thighs also help strengthen the muscles that surround the knee joint. Combined with a front raise, which strengthens the shoulders and the chest muscles, this a total body exercise!
Adding more total body exercises to your workouts is a great way to balance out strength in all the muscles in your body. Plus, the more muscles you use at once, the more calories you burn! There’s a functional benefit of strengthening the whole body.
Especially in a lunge and front raise, you are using muscles that help you get up from the chair or lift something over your head. Toning these muscles will help prevent injury.
You will need dumbbells for this exercise. We recommend choosing a weight that is appropriate for your strength, meaning the added resistance should offer you a decent challenge but you do not have to sacrifice on form. Particularly on a front raise, the arms are lengthening in front of you a long distance away from the center of your body so you may want to go lighter than usual.
Make sure you don’t use momentum when you lift the dumbbells, use control and keep a slight bend in her elbows. When you lunge, keep your abdominal muscles engaged and your spine long. Avoid bending forward.
Looking for a way to incorporate lunges into a robust exercise routine that is sure to whip your legs and booty into shape? Check out our Lunge-A-Palooza Challenge!
Alternating Side Lunge with Front Raise Exercise Instructions
- Start with feet hip distance apart and dumbbells resting in front of legs with your arms long.
- Step out with left leg into a side lunge bringing the knee into a 90-degree angle but keeping the right leg straight. As you lower into the lunge, lift arms to shoulder height in a front raise.
- Step back to center, slowly lowering arms, and repeat on the other side.
Targets: glutes, hamstrings, quads, shoulders
