I hate Lunges!!!

I thought that I would take a moment to say this to anyone who feels the same... I hate lunges!!!  Maybe somwhere out there someone can remind me why lunges are a good thing.  Or better yet someone tell me a better exercise for thigh muscles. ( although unfortunately the most likely isnt one!)  Oh, just looking for motivation to continue to muscle through another set or two or three.... OOPS I POSTED THIS IN THE WRONG SPOT!!!  *sorry*

Lunges feel good!!!!!

Oh, man, I hear that! Lunges kill my knees! I sustained a pretty bad injury from lunges this year and am just finally able to do some of the activities in which I was limited.

Squats can be pretty good for your thighs and don't put as much pressure on your knees because both legs are even with one another.

i feel you lunges blow... they arent difficult more akward when you start to go heavier with the weights.   But ya i despise them...

I hate them. i use to hate any-kind of ab work out, and lunges replaced them. in fact i love ab work outs now.

I hate them, i hate them. i hate them , i hate them.

but i still do them (with correct form) dang nab-it.

My college rowing coach once made us lunge back and forth down a hallway for 30 minutes.  It was crazy.  We were falling over after 10, so she let us break it up by adding pushups and crunches at one end of the hallway.   Unfortunately, the damage was already done.  I could hardly walk for a couple of days and couldn't get gracefully down stairs for a week.  I've never forgiven the coach or the lunge.  No lunges for me, thank you. 

I assume that, as a woman, you are looking to tone/shape rather than bulk up your legs....I would suggest mixing in plie squats and romanian and stiff legged deadlifts (light weight on the deadlifts). The plie squat is a terrific shaping exercise, and more difficult than many people think. Try it w/o weights at first. Good luck.

I also hate lunges (and reverse lunges are even worse) -- I have no balance and they hurt my knees.  On the other hand, I <3 the plie squats (most squats) that Frank92 suggestions

Screw lunges,   all you really need is squats and dead lifts.   I despise lunges more than anything but I love lifting weights!!!

Lunges are completely unnecessary and quite destructive to the body if not done properly. The inevitable oncoming fatigue is a major contributing factor which leads to imbalance which could lead to injury if one isn't completely focused. If you belong to a gym, there are plenty of machines that attack the quads (thigh muscles). The leg extension machine is a perfect starter. The leg press machine is another one. Most gyms have several types. The squats should be done with a squat machine which offers great back support. Begin with 3 exercises on the same day twice a week (hopefully separated by two days in between - i.e. Mon/Thur or Tues/Fri or Wed/Sat) Do 3 sets per exercise with a minute rest in between sets (rest intervals are extremely important). Start off with a very light weight and progressively add per each set, if possible. Eventually, you should be able to do 12 reps per set with a nice comfortable rhythm and easy motion. Ultimately, your actions should be fluid and graceful. If you do enough research there are a dozen or so various leg machines that will help your quads. It is a good idea to switch the exercises up each time you go to the gym once you become familiar with your routines. The legs love variety. There are plenty of instructors out there to help you if you're not able to motivate yourself or perform on your own at first. Good execution is critical. Don't forget the leg biceps (hamstrings), abductors and adductors, and my favorite: the calves. Good luck and get rid of the LUNGES! p.s. Daily walking at a good clip (20 minutes is sufficient) is the best 'healthy' exercise by far.

 Well, you need to keep good form when doing lunges, just like you need to keep good form when doing any other exercise.

 Read Hardcore Lunge by Mike Robertson for a detailed examination of lunges and how to do'em right. Keep in mind that lunges are supplemental exercises to the squat and deadlift.

 Also, stay away from leg presses, leg extensions, and in fact any machine-based leg move. Leg extensions cause shear forces on the knees, leg presses fail to involve any muscles above the waistline and leads to postural and muscle imbalances, and squatting in the smith machine causes excessive shear forces on both knees and spine. There's no room for machines in a leg training regime designed to keep you injury-free for life.

 I'm exaggerating for effect here, but only slightly - machines are useful tools if used right, and in the right context, but they're best used as supplementary exercises to a free weights regime.

 No, the leg press machine is not a substitute for squats. If it was, olympic weightlifters would use it for more than a clothes rack.

 People who think you can get away with doing leg presses and not squatting are the same ones who blow out their spine when they're trying to help you move your couch - their muscles just aren't trained to work as a unit.

 If you want great legs, you must squat.

Me too. I hate doing dumbell lunges at the gym. I probably look like a retard. Lol. Always feel worried that I am going to hit someone or run someone over. xD

now squats i like.

Barbell

Dumbbells

Ballet

Sissy

Hack

front

sumo

No, i don't do all of them just thought it was fun to list a few. Since i have bad knees i cant go all the way down (parellel). so i kind of cheat. oh well ; )

hm. i adore squats. adore them. i use an ez-curl bar for most of my regular routine.

i can't hack sissy squats though - if you want to talk dangerous, useless exercise, sissy squats is a good start.

However

lunges are a great stretch and warm up when done correctly. NO EXERCISE SHOULD EVER HURT. if it does, you are Doing It Wrong.

unless of course you do have a chronic sport injury, and the like, and simply do not have the range of motion.

so~ http://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/archive/l unge-test.html

and ~if you need to look up muscles or stretches http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html

my PT had me land my front foot 5 inches to the right of the firts, not in-line. balance is better and gives a lower impact stretch to the knee.

lunges are pretty evil.  especially because they never get easier!  but i still do them because ain't nothin' else but squatting that torches my legs as much as they do!  i used to hate squatting too...but i've started to like the burn!

i'm sick.  hahah. 

Very nice and informative response, melkor, but I would have to slightly disagree with you on leg extensions and the Smith machine. Leg extensions are one of the primary exercises incorporated for strengthening and rehabilitating the knees at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic, a major player in working with top professional and world class athletes in Southern California for over 30 years. The purpose of doing machine squats with the Smith machine is to "work the thighs intensely while putting less strain on the other areas such as the knees and lower back." To further quote A.S., "I have always preferred doing Machine Squats on a Smith machine." The various leg press machines as well as the Smith machines here at Gold's Gym in Venice, CA are the most used pieces of equipment in the facility. You are quite correct about the squats and deadlifts. A good personal trainer is indispensible to getting someone on the proper track, which reinforces your statement, "machines are useful tools if used right, and in the right context, but they're best used as supplementary exercises to a free weights regime." 

Girl I hate lunges too! I found the BEST workout for thighs and bum. Windsor pilates bun and thighs routine. It's 20 minutes and it hurts like hell, but not the same kind of hurt as lunges. It's all in the muscles, not in the joints and it works so well that you may secretly like how much it hurts because that's how you know it's working! It comes in the regular Windsor Pilates set, which is expensive, but I got mine on E-Bay for $15.00 total and it was completely worth it.

 Heh, yep - I did say :" I'm exaggerating for effect here", which I'd think would be a reasonably self-explanatory caveat :)

  Thing is, I think the smith machine really is evil. About the only exercise you can do in it without it hurting your body in some manner is ballistic bench presses - it just isn't conductive to moving your body in a natural pattern.

 It's a minor point of disagreement though - I know BodyScience likes the Smith machine more than I do and thinks it has a wider range of uses. And if the choice is between Smith Machine squats and leg presses - well, I dunno; but leg presses you can at least do without excessive shear forces on the spine and knees.

 But that's for regular training - for rehab work, it's different. Isolation exercises and machines to strengthen specific muscle groups without (re-)injuring others is very important in that case. But I think doing rehabilitation and physical theraphy exercises without being injured and in need of rehab training isn't a very good idea. I can't help but think that it would lead to muscle imbalances that could easily promote injuries - pretty much the opposite of what you'd want.

 Dunno for sure about that though, but in general I think that healthy people shouldn't train like they were in rehab...

errrr...i use the smithy for inclined pushups...and inverted body rows.

Thanks for the info. Someonw once told me that lunges were the only way to get at certain leg muscles... I have felt some improvement but my knees definatly dont like them.  Thanks for the advice about the squats I am going to re organize my workout to fit in a squat rotation.  Perhaps I can get rid of the lunges all together!

 

I love warrior poses (yoga), which as best as I can tell, are lunges with additional stretching and balancing, held for a long time (up to a minute). They are graceful, challenging, build mental discipline, and I definitely feel it in the quads. The instructions require the knee to be directly over the foot, to protect from knee strain.

I think I like them because instead of focusing on a number (4, 5, 6), pain, and whether you feel crappy enough to stop yet, you are focusing on balance and form.

Someday when warrier poses don't feel challenging, and I can do side angle poses (deep lunge with torso facing sideways) using arms only for balance and not support, I'll need to supplement with weightlifting-style lunges.