In case just running, or just performing lunges aren’t enough for you, we’re here with a challenge. Put those two elements together and you get walking lunges. What the heck are those, you may ask?
Good question.
Walking lunges are a great workout for strengthening your entire lower body and core. These are the best type of lunge for runners because they’re a dynamic movement that’s an exaggerated form of running.
Below, we’ll walk you through walking lunges, how to do them, and how to incorporate them into a workout.
Sometimes the best thing distance runners can do for their training plan is to step away from all of the fancy equipment at the gym. It’s easy to feel like you have to do it ALL and then never actually start anything.
Instead, get back to the basics of one (maybe two!) movements to challenge your strength. Keep it simple and efficient and it’ll be a whole lot easier to include some strength work in your running and encourage proper form using your own bodyweight.
Walking lunges require no equipment, meaning you can do them at the trailhead or in your living room.
Now, if you’re wondering why you need to include strength training at all, then check out Coach Nate’s thorough 3-part series all about why runners should strength train. If you’re not ready to watch just yet, then let us summarize briefly for you here:
Certainly, that list isn’t exclusive, but it helps us keep in mind that running doesn’t just require aerobic stamina. We need muscular strength right along with a robust set of lungs!
Just to show you how easy it can be to integrate some strength work into your run training, we’ve set up a walking lunge challenge for you!
It’s quite simple (but not necessarily easy!).
You’re going to perform 5 minutes of lunging, alternating legs on each rep. Performing these lunges consecutively (without break) requires your hamstrings, glutes, calves, and quads to fire and STAY FIRED from start to finish.
What elements are combined in the lunge? We’re glad you asked. Here’s how to do a walking lunge. We’ll walk you through it step by step so you know exactly what muscles and movements you’ll be flowing through:
You won’t be moving forward since you’re stepping out, then back in, so you don’t need but a tiny bit of space to get this work done.
Alternate for 5 minutes.
For every break you take (a break counts as anything over 2 seconds) during the 5 minutes, you will perform 3 push-ups! So, instead of calmly standing there to rest and catch your breath, your “rest” will be active while you perform those 3 push-ups.
We told you it would be a challenge 🙂
After the push-ups are done, it’s right back to a standing position and doing your walking lunges until your 5 minutes are up.
If you can get through this, you can learn how to hold onto your stamina, no matter what mile you’re on!
Use this walking lunge challenge as a benchmark for your progress! Good luck.
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If you’re looking for more training, check out our 2-week (free!) Quick Start Guide. Whether you’re coming back from an injury, prepping for a race, or are just working on your fitness, we’ll walk you through 2 weeks of workouts. Your running, strength training, and mobility will all get some fresh new moves to show you how to improve your running.