Leg exercises are great for building and shaping the legs and toning the whole body. But, what’s the difference between the two most popular bodyweight leg exercises – squats and lunges? Which one is better?
Both, squats and lunges target glutes, quads and hamstrings. However, leaning forward in a lunge a activates more the gluteus medius, while in parallel squatting, you work out hamstrings and quads more.
To strengthen and lean your legs, you should do both exercises.
About squats
First, it’s very important to learn how to squat the right way. For beginners, it’s best to practice a box squat, or squatting to a chair.
Here is how to do squats:
Push your hips back and knees out to the side, while placing the weight of your body on your heels (the knees shouldn’t go further forward than the toes). Then, go as deep as you can with very good form.
About lunges
Lunge is a great exercise for balancing both legs and practicing stability. While doing lunges, it’s very important to control the movement.
Here is how to do lunges:
The point of the exercises is to place more demand on the forward leg and then push back up through the foot. Make sure your knees are not going inward. The front foot should support the weight on the heel, not the toes.