"I Can't Do Lunges…"

You may have tried lunges in the past and had to give them up because of the pain they caused you in your knees.

Well, if that's the case, I have good news for you.

As long as your doctor hasn't diagnosed you with degenerative knee issues or any other ailment preventing you from lunging, you may want to try this version of the lunge.

It's called a backwards lunge and allows you to sit more into your hip and put less pressure on the front knee and leg. This is important because often times the only reason lunges hurt exercisers is due to the fact that their form is off. They end up lunging forward and landing on the ball of the foot and keeping all the pressure forward on the foot causing their knee to stretch past their toes.

If you only allowed your weight to shift back into your front hip you could alleviate most, if not all, of your knee discomfort.

But before you try forward lunges again, you can start practicing your form with the backwards lunge. If you already know how to do them, then go ahead and give them a shot as part of your lower body routine for strengthening and toning your glutes and thighs.

If you want a refresher on the form, I'll take you through this exercise tomorrow in my "Exercise of the Week."