This is an excellent example of how to do the compass lunge. His body is upright throughout, he takes big steps forwards, his hips remain level and he plants his foot well. It all looks so simple.
As you stride forwards, remember to let your knee travel forwards naturally; just keep that heel down, so you feel the whole foot landing firmly; there is no sense of landing on the toes or landing in the heel. In fact, the knee will be roughly over the ankle, as is the video, but to activate the VMO, the inner knee muscle – footballer’s knee – it is important for the brain to allow a sense of moving the knee forwards as the hip lowers.
It is a good idea to keep the hands on the hips at first so you can feel any instability.
And keep an eye on the front leg: it is vital that there is no wobbling.
Before attempting the compass lunge, do get very, very good at the lunge, as shown in last week’s blog. And before attempting the lunge, do get very, very good at the split squat. You should be able to execute a cable split squat with a decent weight with stable hips and no wobbles – and no nasty grumbles from the piriformis next day – before moving into these dynamic exercises.