So I hit a new PR on my back squat today with 330lbs. Hooray for me. All the work is paying off. I hope to be around 350lbs around summer.
Well after my squats, I did my speed deadlifts and that went fine. I recently decided to do single leg stuff now since it doesn’t hurt my knee anymore (I had my ACL reconstructed). I did barbell lunges. I wanted to start out with 135lbs, but I decided to just try with the bar to make sure my form was in check.
Well, it wasn’t. I kind was tipping over for a few reps, so I did a set of 6 for both legs and got my form down. I upped the weight to 95lbs and did my lunges and my form was still a little tipsy, so I decided not to hit 135 this time. About half way through, I felt the work my glutes were doing. It was almost like I strained my butt! It wasn’t a strain though. I think you guys know the feeling I’m talking about.
I just knew that my glutes were getting a good workout. After I finished off my workout, my glutes were killing me. It was crazy! I feel like I got more of a workout from lunges at 95lbs then hitting 330lbs plus singles at 300lbs. Funny stuff. Not really, but interesting. No?
Probably more from doing lunges after the squat and deadlift work…muscle fatigue. This could be some expaination for the “tipsy” form. You also may want to check your footwear. If you are doing lunges in the same shoes you wear qutie a bit or run in a lot you may have the cushion and support broken down in such a manner that it causes a break down in form. I used to have this trouble with squatting, I solved it by getting some Chucks or going barefoot.
I’m the same way: all single leg work (including more “quad dominant” movements like reverse lunges, step ups and walking lunges) I feel in my glutes more than the quads.
Listen to Roofus, though, and buy some chucks. You squatting will never be better.
Maybe it was muscle fatigue. But I’d been doing step ups and never felt this. I do wear chucks when I train, and the only time I ever wear the chucks is when I weight train. For my lunges, I was taking fairly long steps. Now it’s the morning after, and I’m having a hard time sitting down.
Make sure that your front foot is flat on the floor and think of pulling back with the foot and driving with the heel. That activates the glutes and hammies. If you’re on the ball of the front foot it’ll make the quad do a little more work.
Well, anytime you make changes you can expect things like this. That’s why it’s important to make changes. If you are sore (in a good way) it means your body is having to adapt. So if you haven’t done lunges in a while, or just haven’t followed up a squat/dead session with them then your body has found a reason to adapt.
Case in point: I often follow my ME squat/dead sessions with pull throughs for reps of 10-15 with weight up to 250 lbs. One day I decided to do dumbell swings between my legs for 6 sets of 10 with a 35 lbs. dumbell. I could barely walk for 2 days after.