Upgrade Your Leg Day Workout

Your Leg Day workout needs an upgrade—especially if you’ve been doing nothing but the same old routines that keep your feet planted firmly on the floor. Add a new element with this lunge variation from trainer Eric Sung, C.S.C.S., which introduces an athletic component to your otherwise static training session.

The drop freeze lunge is one of Sung’s favorite exercises from his new Ultimate Summer Sweat program, available exclusively on All Out Studio for Men’s Health MVP Premium members. Sung’s workouts are designed to get you up and moving so that you’re prepared for anything the sunny season brings your way, from beach days to outdoor workouts.

This particular exercise helps to hone two physical attributes that are important for both athletic performance and real-world movement: deceleration and body control. You’ll also challenge your big lower body muscles, hitting your quads and even your calves.

Sung has a helpful tip if you find yourself struggling to stay on your toes. “Think of it as a game of chicken,” he says. You’ll hold out as long as you can, daring gravity to blink, before falling into the controlled descent.

How to Do the Drop-Freeze Lunge

Start standing with your feet hip-width apart. Raise your arms over your head and raise up to your tip-toes in an elevated calf raise position.

Lean forward slowly, keeping your arms overhead. Wait for as long as possible, then allow yourself to fall forward.

As you’re falling, shoot one leg forward into a lunge position. Catch yourself on that foot, landing in a lunge.

Pause for a count, then press your front foot off the floor to return to the starting position.

Add the drop-freeze lunge to your lower body workouts with 3 sets of 5 to 7 reps per side.

For more exercises like this and workouts that will keep you fit and moving all season, check out Sung’s whole Ultimate Summer Sweat series, only available on All Out Studio for Men’s Health MVP Premium members.

Source – MensHealth

In Other News – How To Break Through Your Deadlift Plateau

I’m stuck on a deadlift plateau. How do I break it? –Can’t Reach My Strength Summit . WHEN I FIRST started strength training as a teenage football player, the deadlift was not part of my program. I didn’t begin pulling big weights until after my playing career was over. When I did, I was able to progress very quickly, like others who experience rapid gains when they start strength training. This is largely due to neurological adaptations (typically referred to as “newbie gains”), as my brain and body became familiar with the lift. After a few months, however, I found myself in the same position you’re in now. I stalled out, even though I felt like I should’ve been able to progress.

My rapid advance had ended, and I was worried I would be stuck with a mediocre deadlift for the rest of my gym life. This was disconcerting for me, someone who considered myself an experienced lifter—but it happens to everyone. Learn more