Many people agree that the squat is the king of all exercises, and I think they may be right, but you won’t catch me in the gym doing squats.
For people like me with a history of back pain and who don’t want to spend weeks to months perfecting technique, the weighted lunge is a superior alternative to weighted squats!
Back Pain = No More Squatting
For the last 6 years, I’ve had multiple back injuries involving my upper back (thoracic vertebrae) and lower back (lumbar vertebrae). These injuries have forced me to take time off from the gym on a yearly basis.
While I am currently not injured and my back feels completely healthy, anyone who has injured their back before can tell you that your back is never the same after an injury.
Additionally, I have been injured multiple times while using a variety of squatting techniques.
This includes:
- High bar back squats
- Low bar back squats
- Safety bar squats
- Front squats
This work, “Squatting Back Angle” is a derivative of “Good-mornings-1” by Everkinetic used under CC BY-SA 3.0 and “Speed-squats-1” by Everkinetic used under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Due to my long limbs, (I’m 6 feet 6 in tall) squatting deep requires me to bend at the hip quite a bit.
For this reason, I have a history of back injuries.
Technique
The second reason that I do not squat is because of the amount of time it takes me to acquire solid technique.
Keep in mind that I’ve taught the squat dozens of people within my job as a personal trainer.
Squatting technique is something I’ve researched for years and something I take great pride in teaching my clients to do properly. Even so, teaching technique and developing your own technique are two very different processes.
Despite the fact that I know what I want my technique to look like, after every injury, it always takes me several months to rebuild up my strength in order to use good technique.
Due to my long frame, no matter the squatting style I choose, it takes a lot of work.
High bar and low bar squats put large amounts of stress on my elbows, shoulders, wrists, and lower back.
This is managed by increasing my shoulder mobility, wearing wrist wraps, and not squatting more than twice a week.
Front squats put large amounts of stress on the thoracic vertebrae, which is not always a bad thing.
However, after multiple injuries to my thoracic vertebrae, front squatting isn’t a safe option.
Additionally, I find it supremely difficult to stay upright during a front squat.
This causes me to shift the focus from lifting weights to build muscle in my legs to spending months developing my upper back strength to keep my elbows high so that I do not tip over.
In the past, safety bar squats seemed like they would be a good answer for my back squatting problems.
However, they do not fix the problems of my back pain history and bending over at the hip.
This led to safety bar squats leading to lower back pain for me similar to high and low bar squats.
Long story short, squatting is difficult for me.
However, it does not mean squatting is not the right option for you.
Every single problem that I have found while squatting can be overcome with hard work and proper technique.
Good coaching is all about problem solving and all of my problems can be solved.
However, sometimes it isn’t worth the trouble when you have: a better alternative!
My Favorite Alternative to Squatting:
The Lunge
The lunge is one my favorite alternatives to weighted squatting for several reasons.
Reduced Load on the Spine
The back angle of a weighted lunge is almost completely vertical which plays a large role in limiting the compressive forces on my lower back.
Additionally, the lunge is an asymmetrical bilateral exercise compared to a squat which is simply a bilateral exercise.
This is good for my lower back because it makes the same amount of weight harder.
For example, 225 pounds using a back squat is much easier compared to 225 pounds using a reverse lunge.
The lunge allows me to get stronger and remain relatively healthier compared to the squat by reducing the poundage on my lower back.
Simple Technique
The second reason I love the lunge is because the technique is much simpler.
While it takes me months to acquire such great squatting technique, it takes me only a few sessions to maximize my lunge technique. This is largely due to how much I normally bend at the hip while squatting. The lunge eliminates my bending at the hip
Many Variations
The last reason I love the lunge is because of the many variations that are usable with this movement.
I can do regular lunges, reverse lunges, lateral lunges, or even ATG lunges.
Each type of lunge has its unique benefits and drawbacks.
Let me break down each type of lunge for you!
This work, “Regular Lunge” is a derivative of “Walking-Lunge-2” by Everkinetic used under CC BY-SA 3.0 and “Dumbbell-lateral-raises-2” by Everkinetic used under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Benefits:
- Great exercise for quadriceps, gluteus maximus, and gluteus minimus
- Easiest progression to balance
Drawbacks:
- Generally, more of a knee dominant exercise causing it to place a bit of stress on the knee of the front leg that is stepping forward
This work, “Reverse Lunge” is a derivative of “Walking-Lunge-2” by Everkinetic used under CC BY-SA 3.0 and “Dumbbell-lateral-raises-2” by Everkinetic used under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Benefits:
- Great exercise for quadriceps, gluteus maximus, and gluteus minimus
- Generally, more of a hip dominant exercise making it safer on the knees
- My preferred lunge for heavy strength training
Drawbacks:
- Harder progression in regards to balance
This work, “Lateral Lunge” is a derivative of “Lateral lunge with bicep curl with dumbbell 2” by Everkinetic used under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Benefits:
- Great exercise for quadriceps, hip abductors, and hip adductors
- Great for fixing hip imbalances
- Challenges the frontal (side to side) plane more rather than the other lunge variations
Drawbacks:
- Can be difficult to lunge deep due to mobility and balance restrictions
Learn from the best, Ben Patrick of Athletic Truth Group, on how to perform the ATG Lunge!
ATG Lunge
Benefits:
- Greatly isolates the quadriceps muscles
- Activates the vastus medialis greatly which makes this a superior lunge for those looking to overcome knee pain
Drawbacks:
- Not great for strengthening the hip muscles
Check out IFBB Pro, John Meadows, showing how to build big legs with Smith Machine Lunges!
Smith Machine Lunge
Benefits:
- Great exercise for quadriceps and gluteus maximus
- Increased strength due to increased ability to balance
- Can be performed using regular or reverse lunge styles
Drawbacks:
- Not great for muscles along inside and outside of the legs such as the adductors and abductors
- Not great for developing balance
Make sure to comment what you think of this article down below!
Do any of you prefer the lunge to the squat as well?
Be sure to check out my upcoming article on all of the best alternatives to squatting for tall people like me!
Peace!
