The Best Strength Exercise for Athletes:

Why the Walking Lunge Might Just Be the King

When it comes to strength training for athletes, the back squat and trap bar deadlift have long been considered the gold standard. These exercises are praised for their ability to build overall strength and power. However, Chris Barnard, a coach with Overtime Athletes, presents a compelling case for re-evaluating these traditional lifts. In his view, the walking lunge might just be the best strength exercise for athletes. Let’s dive into why the walking lunge could be superior and how it stacks up against other popular movements.

Introduction to the Walking Lunge

Chris Barnard’s argument centers on the walking lunge as the ultimate strength exercise for athletes. While squats and deadlifts have been staples in athletic training programs for years, he suggests that the walking lunge offers unique advantages that these traditional lifts may lack. Despite its simplicity, the walking lunge provides a movement pattern and training stimulus that more closely resembles the dynamic and varied movements athletes perform in their respective sports.

Movement Analysis

To understand why the walking lunge might be superior, it’s crucial to analyze its movement mechanics in comparison to the back squat and trap bar deadlift.

Back Squat and Trap Bar Deadlift: Both exercises are primarily focused on vertical force production. The back squat involves flexing and extending the hips and knees while resisting gravity in a vertical plane. Similarly, the trap bar deadlift requires lifting weights vertically from the ground. These movements are effective for building strength, particularly in the lower body. However, they predominantly engage muscles in a straight-up-and-down motion, which may not fully replicate the complexities of athletic movements.
Walking Lunge: The walking lunge introduces both hip flexion and hip extension while moving forward, engaging muscles in a more dynamic manner. This movement mimics real-life athletic actions such as sprinting and jumping, where athletes must manage both vertical and horizontal forces. As an athlete steps forward during a walking lunge, they must not only drive their hip through extension but also navigate the forward momentum, which closely mirrors the biomechanical demands of sports.

Benefits of Unilateral Training

One of the significant advantages of walking lunges is their unilateral nature, which offers several key benefits over bilateral movements like squats and deadlifts:

Improved Symmetry: Athletes often have one leg that is stronger or more dominant than the other. Unilateral exercises like the walking lunge help address these imbalances by training each leg individually. This can lead to better symmetry and balance, which is crucial for athletic performance, especially in sports that require rapid changes in direction or single-leg stability.
Enhanced Stability: The walking lunge creates a level of instability because the athlete is moving forward with a load on one leg. This instability forces the athlete to engage stabilizing muscles to maintain balance and control. This is particularly beneficial for athletes who need to enhance their balance and coordination on the field or court.
Greater Range of Motion: Unilateral exercises, including the walking lunge, often allow for a greater range of motion compared to bilateral exercises. In the walking lunge, the hip, knee, and ankle joints undergo a more extensive range of motion, which can lead to improved flexibility and joint health. This increased range of motion can contribute to better performance in sports that require dynamic and full-range movements.

Muscle Activation and Load Intensity

Recent studies highlight that walking lunges may offer superior muscle activation compared to traditional strength exercises like the back squat.

Muscle Activation: Research comparing walking lunges to back squats has shown that lunges activate more muscle groups. This is likely because the walking lunge engages stabilizers and synergistic muscles more intensely due to the dynamic and forward-moving nature of the exercise. This means that athletes can potentially recruit more muscle fibers and achieve greater overall muscle engagement with walking lunges.
Load Intensity: Another advantage of the walking lunge is its versatility in terms of load intensity. For younger or less experienced athletes, lunges can be performed with just body weight or light dumbbells, providing a safe and effective training stimulus. For more advanced athletes, the load can be increased with heavier weights or additional equipment. This adaptability allows the walking lunge to cater to athletes across different levels without the need for excessively heavy weights that can sometimes pose risks in exercises like the back squat.

Conclusion and Application

Chris Barnard acknowledges the historical significance of squats and deadlifts in strength training. These exercises have been foundational in building strength for various sports. However, he encourages athletes and coaches to reconsider the walking lunge as a potentially superior exercise. The walking lunge not only aligns more closely with the movements performed in sports but also offers unique benefits in terms of muscle activation, load management, and balance improvement.

Incorporating walking lunges into an athletic training program can provide a valuable supplement to traditional strength exercises. While squats and deadlifts remain important for building raw strength, the walking lunge offers a dynamic and functional training stimulus that can enhance athletic performance and reduce the risk of imbalances and injuries.

As the field of strength training continues to evolve, it’s essential to stay open to new approaches and methodologies. The walking lunge, with its comprehensive benefits and alignment with athletic movements, might just be the key to unlocking new levels of performance and functional strength for athletes across various sports!