Hammerstrength Smith Lunge — Reviewing the finer points
Hammerstrength | Legs | Plate | Smith Machine
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In this exercise analysis (Quicktime ipod compatible, 18.7MB; Google flash video), Bud Gibson and I (Nancy) go over the finer points of the lunge in the Hammerstrength Smith machine. The Smith Machine differs from a free bar or dumbbell lunge in that balance is removed from the exercise. This allows the user to concentrate more on the muscles being worked without the worry of stabilization.
The first picture at the left shows me (Nancy) in the start position. The yellow lines indicate where my legs begin the move and the orange lines show where they are positioned at the bottom of the move. As I begin the move I bend both my knees and drop my back knee straight down towards the floor. Note that the heel of the back foot is always off the ground.
In the second picture I am in the bottom position of the exercise. In this position the front knee should never be forward of the toe. As you can see from the orange line I am in good aignment. As I begin to rise out of this position I focus on pushing through the heel of the front foot rather than the toe. This will draw more gluteus into the move and will keep the pressure off the calf.
The third picture shows Bud in the start position. His back heel is off the ground and his torso is straight. As you can see from the orange line he will get a nice 90 degree angle in his front knee. This indicates proper distance with the positioning with his feet. If his stance were too narrow his front knee would travel forward of his toe putting undo stress on his knee. Also note that a narrow stance can sometines cause a rounding of the low back when in the bottom position. This, obviously, can place too much stress on the low back.
In the last picture Bud is in the bottom position. As you can see his positioning is very good. He maintains the straight torso position throughout the movement and his back knee is about 2 inches from the floor. His front heel stays flat as he pushes to the start position.
Additional Links
The barbell lunge is another technique that can be used.
Another stationary lunge technique is demonstrated here.
