Runner’s Lunge is a hip strength, stability and mobility pose in yoga. It strengthens the quads, glutes and hip stabilisers, strengthens the ankles and calves, and stretches the hip flexors. It’s a great warm-up pose to practice before dropping deeper into the hip flexors in Low Lunge and Lizard, and a good prep pose for other standing postures, including High Lunge and Side Lunge.
RUNNER’S LUNGE BENEFITS
- Strengthens the quads, glutes and hip stabilisers.
- Strengthens the ankles and calves, balancing on the ball of the back foot.
- Stretches the hip flexors of the back leg.
- Builds hip mobility, combining hip flexion (front leg) and hip extension (back leg)—the same range you move through when running.
CATEGORY
SKILL LEVEL
- Beginner
INSTRUCTIONS
- Set-Up
Start in Downward Dog.
- Action
Take a deep breath in. Exhale, step your right foot in between your hands in Runners Lunge.
- Refinements
Check that your front knee doesn’t come forward over your ankle and that your toes and knee point straight ahead. Check that your feet are hip-width apart and not on a tightrope. Look down at the mat to straighten your cervical spine. And press back through your left heel to straighten your back leg.
- Duration
Hold the pose for 3-5 deep breaths on each side.
CONTRAINDICATIONS
- Avoid this pose if you have a foot, ankle, knee or hip injury.
MASTER RUNNER’S LUNGE
If you’d like to practise Runner’s Lunge as part of a sequence, watch Total Leg Strength—a 15-minute guided practice designed to strengthen your legs and improve mobility in your hips. This video can be accessed along with my full library of 360+ videos as part of the 14-Day Free Trial.
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