TRX Lateral lunge: a step by step guide

The TRX lateral lunge is a lower-body strength mobility exercise

Set up for the lateral lunge exercise

• Hold onto the TRX bands with both hands
• Then, proceed to spread your feet wide.
• Bend your knee as you shift your weight to that knee. You should do this while you keep your chest up.
• Ensure the other knee remains straight
• Proceed to pull yourself back up with the bands
• Repeat for the prescribed number of times.

Starting position

• You start by standing with your feet and shoulder-width apart.
• Place your hands on your hips back.
• Take a wide step out to the left of the anchor.
• Bend your knee as you push your hips back
• Keep both feet flat on the floor throughout the lunge.
• Push off with your left leg to return to standing
• It is recommended that you perform 10 to 12 lunges on the left side before switching to the right.

Muscles worked during TRX lateral lunge

The muscles worked include:

• Quads
• Glutes
• Inner thighs
• Hamstrings
• Quadriceps
• Adductors
• Abductors

Mistakes you should avoid

• It is a common mistake for people to lunge with feet too close to the centreline. You should not step too narrow and start to crossover, almost like walking on a tightrope. Lunging on a tightrope makes it hard to balance and to get the right muscles firing. This ends up adding unnecessary stress to the knees and hips.

Tip:  To fix this mistake, you should begin every lunge with your hip-width apart. As you step into a lunge, step the working foot in line with that hip, and not in line with the other foot.

• Avoid stepping in and out of lunges. This is because you might not activate the right muscle groups, that is, glutes, quads, and hamstrings.

Tip: Ensure to step into a lunge slowly and with control.  Pause for about two counts before pushing back to start.

• Letting your front knee to collapse inward when you lunge may limit the effectiveness of the exercise. It may also increase your chances of developing knee pain down the road.

Tip: make sure that your front knee aligns with your shoelaces

• Another common lunge mistake is letting your knee creep past your front toes. This may add stress to your knee joint, which may result in knee discomfort or pain over time.

Tip: try widening your stance to ease the pressure, as you take care not to shift too much weight onto the back leg in the process.

Benefits of TRX Lateral lunge exercise

Using TRX while performing lunges results in unique benefits. They include:

• Creating core activation and causing thoracic extension
• Helping in building the leg and strength and stability
• Helps tone and strengthen your lower body
• Increases core strength
• Decreased body weight
• Corrected body imbalance
• Improved functional fitness