Introduction:

When you're teaching the fundamental mechanics of a lunge, where do you start? Have you ever asked yourself that question? With the multitude of lunging variations, it can be challenging to determine the best starting point. However, the optimal choice is the one that requires minimal coaching cues while helping your patient/client understand right versus wrong. In my opinion, the wall is the best tool to help you master this movement. Yes — the wall! In this article, you will learn why the wall should be your first strategy for teaching a lunge. Additionally, I will break down the following compensations and how the wall fixes them. 

• Front Foot Focus
• Horizontal Rear Foot
• Horizontal Trajectory

If you're a visual learner, click the video below to watch the same principles discussed in this article.

Problem #1: Front Foot Focus

It may sound counter-intuitive, but most coaches over-emphasize the front foot during a lunge. When this occurs, it becomes apparent in two ways. First, the overall lunge looks and feels awkward. If you've been coaching for some time then you understand what I mean. Simply stated, you can just tell when lunges don't look or feel "right" and the awkward technique that follows. This usually is a result from the lack of awareness of the rear foot mechanics, which prevents the desired movement to occur.

The second outcome from focusing on the front foot is the elevation of the heel. This heel elevation contributes to the awkward-looking lunge and usually results in the classic anterior knee pain experienced by some. Ideally, the front foot should remain flat on the ground with most of the foot pressure driving through the rear to mid-foot. 

How do we fix this?

The wall!

It acts as a reference for the patient/client to increase the awareness of their back leg. As they move through their lunging pattern they are constantly reminded of the correct form due to their contact on the wall. As a result, their focus from the front leg shifts towards the back, and to be honest, their form tends to clean up without much coaching from there! 

Problem #2: Horizontal Rear Foot

Now that we're focusing on the back leg, we need to specifically look at the heel. The second most common problem we see with a traditional lunge is the rear foot moving in a horizontal direction (foot flat). This occurs as a side effect from the first problem discussed, excessive front foot focus. The result of the rear foot moving in a horizontal direction is that it's going to create a space issue. The calf will immediately tighten up creating compensation above from the unavailable space. As a result, we spiral back through the awkward-looking lunge phase.

During a traditional lunge, this compensation can be challenging to correct. However, when the patient/client is put on the wall, it does the work for you. Since they have to place their foot vertically on the wall during the entire movement, they will have no choice but to drop the knee straight down. As the knee drops, they're moving into the newly created space from their proper foot position. This is a win-win because they learn the proper mechanics with minimal coaching cues while decreasing the chance for confusion. 

Problem #3: Horizontal Tracjectory

The final problem that we see with a traditional lunge is the overall horizontal trajectory of the entire body. This compensation is intensified by the two previous problems that we've discussed. As you may realize by now, this occurs as a means to find space from the result of a poorly executed lunge.

To fix this, we use the wall and the coaching cue  "move like an elevator." As previously stated, the wall is going to maintain a vertical heel position which is going to increase space. Now, instead of just telling them to lunge down towards the ground, get specific with your cues. Educate them that they want to avoid moving horizontally or like an escalator, but instead, the desired motion is vertically like an elevator. Putting it in these terms is going to help minimize the risk of compensation in the horizontal direction, as well as, falling into trunk flexion. So, as they move into their lunge, you'll use the simple cue of "drop the back knee straight down and move like an elevator, not escalator."

Wall Lunge Coaching Checklist:

• Place the rear foot completely vertically on the wall
• Place the front foot far enough to be in a slight amount of hip extension at the rear leg
• Keep the rear foot on the wall as you drop the back knee straight down
• As the back leg drops straight down, slam the front knee forward
• Your should feel like your moving like an elevator not an escalator
• Maintain your elevator motion during the ascending portion of the lunge

Conclusion:

Next time that you are teaching the foundations of a lunge, I encourage you to use the wall as your starting point. By doing this, you are coaching your patient/client to avoid the main problems of placing too much emphasis on the front leg, moving the rear foot horizontally, and moving the entire body like an escalator. Once they learn these mechanics, you can then move them towards more dynamic lunging exercises. Furthermore, if you need to bias certain movements based on their limitations then you can implement those strategies as well. If you're confused as to how to bias the exercise based on your patient's or client's needs then I encourage you to join the Performance Redefined Course where I go into much more detail.