Curves is a common exercise in gyms and fitness clubs. No wonder - it is one of the most effective strength exercises! Lips have many variations, and kettlebells or crossing laps are just some of them. However, many people still do it incorrectly, which greatly diminishes the effects of this exercise. Find out why lunges are better than lunges.

Zakroki is not only an exercise for legs and buttocks. A whole body training exercise can be performed well, and the added load, such as dumbbells or kettle, is an additional training stimulus that affects muscle hypertrophy (growth). Lunges or lunges? This question is certainly asked by many exercisers - for good reason! Find out how lunges are better than lunges and learn the correct technique of making them.

Steps - how to do them correctly

Adopt the correct body posture - your feet hip-width apart, gently tuck your pelvis and tense your buttocks, lower your ribs, pull your shoulder blades back and pull your chin back. Throughout the exercise, make sure that the front foot rests on three points of support: the heel, the big toe bone and the outer edge of the foot.

Then, keeping your posture correctly positioned, move your leg back so that your torso is centered. The backward leg abduction movement must smoothly progress to the knee bend and bring it closer to the mat. The knee bend angle need not be 90 degrees. It is much more important that the knee of the offending leg does not go too far beyond the line of the toes.

Another important guideline is the correct weight distribution. About 80% of the weight should rest on the front leg - placed in the front - while the back leg should take the remaining 20% ​​and only support movement and stabilize the body. When making a lunge, also remember to gently lean forward and keep your back straight. In the final phase of the exercise, we should tighten the buttock, but it is a mistake to perform knee hyperextension. Movement must always be done with the force of the hips, not the knees.

Stops - the most common mistakes

1. Lean back too muchWhen making a curve, the center of gravity should be between the front leg and legzombie. At the same time, it should be remembered that the leading leg should be more loaded. Leaning back during a bend causes too much stress on the knee of the back leg and in the future will result in pain and overloading its structures.

2. Leaning your weight on the back legLeaning your weight on the back leg overloads the hip flexor muscle and causes too much compression on the kneecap. During the cornering, the leg in front should be much more heavily loaded, and the rear leg is only to help stabilize the figure. Here it is worth remembering the 20:80 rule - that is 20% of the force of the hind leg and 80% of the force of the front leg.

3. Hips rocking / crooked hipsHips rocking is a common problem when cornering. To stabilize it, you need to pull up the hip of the back leg, tuck the pelvis and lower the ribs. The hip spines should be aligned throughout the exercise.

4. Descending knees inwardsKnees should be slightly directed outwards during turns. If they go inward, it could be a sign of weak gluteal muscles (medium and small glutes). To do this, you need to tighten the hip area even more and activate the center - i.e. the deep abdominal muscles, by lowering the ribs and pulling the navel towards the spine.

5. Unstable footProperly positioned feet are the basis of every exercise. It's common to see your feet turned in when you turn, which is a big mistake. The foot of the front leg should rest on three points of support: the bones under the big toe, the outer edge of the foot and the heel. The back leg, on the other hand, should rest primarily on the big toe and rotated outwards.

6. Hunching over / leaning forward too muchLaps, when done correctly, work out almost the entire body. That is why the correct posture and proper positioning of the spine are so important. The torso should be slightly tilted, but not hunched over.

7. Lack of descent in the final phaseLaps without a visible descent do not fulfill their task until the end. The exercises should end with going down, so that you almost touch the mat with your knee. Only then will the gluteal muscles be sufficiently activated.

8. Leaning on the front legLeaning on the front leg is a big mistake and it reduces the effectiveness of the exercise. When we lean our hands on the leg in front, we almost completely turn off the muscles of the thighs and buttocks. That the steps bring us the expected results, our figuremust remain erect. If, during the turns, we are not able to meet this, it is worth changing the exercise to a simpler one or modifying the laps: reduce the bend angle of the knees or, for example, use trx straps to work, which we can gently hold on to.

Lunges better than lunges?

Wondering what to choose - lunges or lunges? Both of these exercises are sure to bring you many benefits, but their specificity is very different from each other.

Lunges is an exercise in which the limb is moved forward and squats with one leg. Lunges have a slightly different technique. It is also a much less safe and complex exercise. Performing a lunge requires from the body perfect dynamic stabilization and a lot of muscle strength to bounce off the front leg and return to the starting position when you come back.

Lunges are also an exercise that forces the knees much harder. When the limb is lifted up, the knee is in a free kinematic chain, while dynamically bringing the leg forward requires a sudden closed kinematic chain. For some, this may be a challenge, and people suffering from knee pain or instability should refrain from doing this exercise because it puts a lot of strain on the ligaments and deeper structures of the knee.

The laps are a much more effective exercise not only because of the technique of their execution. The back leg abduction movement protects our knees, activates the muscles of the rear thigh group and makes the buttock work much more efficiently than when lunging. Moreover, the laps are much easier to master, so this exercise is recommended primarily for beginners. It is much more difficult to get injured during the curves, because the front leg is placed steadily on the ground, and the leg turned back does not take the entire weight of the body, but only controls the stabilization of the figure.

Zakroki - variants (crossbones, with dumbbells, with kettles)

The laps can be performed in several variants. The most popular of them are:

  • Cross-lap- this version of the exercise even more engages the middle and small gluteal muscles - responsible for stabilizing the entire lower limb. Crossing laps are made diagonally. Remember not to point your knees inwards and keep the limb in the correct position despite this movement. The knee should be positioned over the second and third toes, while the hip may twist slightly due to the mechanics of the exercise. Cross strokes also contribute to the stabilization of the knee and perfectly train the cruciate ligaments, which are largely responsible for efficient and stable workknees.
  • Dumbbell laps- dumbbell laps is a frequent exercise in the gym. The technique of the variant of this exercise does not differ from the basic version. The only variable is the extra weight on the sides of the body. It is worth remembering that the value of the dumbbells should be increased gradually.
  • Kettle laps- in this exercise, the kettleball should be positioned at chest height and gently pressed against the chest. When holding a kettlebell, remember not to slouch. Shoulders should be pulled back and ribs lowered. If we choose the variant with two kettles, we should position them exactly the same as during the dumbbells laps.

Zakroki - effects

If the steps are done correctly, you don't have to wait long for their effects. What muscles work during the bends? If we do the exercise properly, almost all of them! The most important effects of the steps are:

  • more muscle strength
  • better mobility of joints responsible for movement
  • better pelvic stabilization
  • greater aerobic capacity
  • elimination of pain in the knees and hips
  • improvement of the circulatory and cardiovascular systems
  • reducing the risk of injury
  • acceleration of metabolism
  • skin firming
  • sculpting and building the muscles of: quadriceps, biceps thighs, gastrocnemius, buttock medium, small and large, deep abdominal muscles and muscles of the shoulder girdle.
About the authorMałgorzata Kośla She is a qualified fitness instructor and certified personal trainer. Since childhood, her greatest passion was sport - she played football and basketball. Then a new love came - dance, especially dancehall. He likes to sweat at the gym and relaxes in yoga and meditation sessions. He is constantly expanding his knowledge about training and a he althy lifestyle. What besides sports? He runs a store with natural cosmetics and he althy food, writes his own blog (stylzyciadowolny.pl) and deals with copywriting.

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Category:

Thighs and buttocks