Lunges vs Squats and knee soreness

[luprisi]

Is there any difference between lunges and squats? As far as I am concern you are working out quadriceps, Right?

I can do a lot of squats, but when it comes to lunges, my knees can stand them!
I have been doing Jari's workouts (say 94 lunges with pulses) and I was wondering if my knees are hurting because of the lunges or because of the step w/o I do every other day

Can I do more squats instead of lunges and get the same benefits??

Thanks!

 

[melimcn]

I think that there is, but I couldn't tell you what it is exactly.

My knees hate forward lunges, so I just don't do them. I can do backward lunges fine, so I just go that route. Whenever walking lunges are in a routine, I just do static lunges in their place instead.

 

[Gayle]

Both squats and lunges should be working more than your quads. You should also be hitting your glutes and hamstrings, as well as all kinds of stabilizer muscles.

The pain you're feeling could be the result of muscle imbalances - quads too strong as compared your glutes/hamstrings. Have you asked a doc or PT about it?

 

[luprisi]

I don't really know if I have any muscle imbalance, but I am trying to do Jari's w/o 3x per week as she recommends it. The problem is that after the second w/o per weeks, I can barely do a lunge, even the backward lunges bother me. I have noticed though, that I feel it more on my left knee, so I am afraid that it may be doing something wrong .

 

[LauraMax]

Both exercises work glutes, quads & hams. Lunges could quite possibly be more difficult depending on the lunge--static lunges probably less so, but each time you lunge it's kind of a momentum move where you're throwing your weight forward or backward (as opposed to up & down w/squats).

That said, I'm not entirely convinced either exercise is bad for the knees as long as the muscles surrounding the joints are strong enough to support the weight your lifting. Maybe you should lighten the weights a little until the exercise is more comfortable?

Other than that, I'd suggest seeing a doc to see if you maybe have some tendon issues.

 

[kathryn]

One thing you might check : do your lunges in front of a mirror, and make sure there is no lateral movement in the knee (especially the knee buckling in). That's where some knee problems can come from, and it's more apt to happen with lunges than with squats.

Also, with front lunges, it's easier to put the weight forward rather than down. Doing squats or static lunges, or rear lunges, or lunges with the front foot on a platform (4-6") can reduce the risk of doing that.

When doing lunges, always think about sinking your weight down rather than going forward.

When I was at a luncheon for French teachers, we had a fencing demo by a former Olympic team member from France who now lives and teaches in Chicago. He did very agressive forward lunges, but the angle of his front knee was a perfect 90-degree angle (and he was hot!).

 

[amyg]

If I recall Jari does the lunges/squats moving laterally fairly quickly. It has been a number of months so I may not recall correctly. Try slowing everything down and using lighter weights.

A squat does not equal a lunge-- only in that your knee angle is the same and your leg only bends in one direction. Using your legs independently and in different positions simultaneously in a lunge hits different areas of your legs than a squat will. Additionally, if you have (as most of us do!) a muscle imbalance, when you squat you are likely to increase that imbalance simply by carrying a greater percentage of your body weight on one side as you squat and lift. You avoid this when performing lunges.

You should be using all of your legs in each but the lunges will recruit your hamstrings on the front leg and quads on the rear leg. Keeping your weight in the heel of your front foot will intensify hamstring recruitment in that leg.

 

[dbelden1]

question....

How do you determine whether your muscle imbalance is what is causing pain? Is going to a Dr. or PT the only way? I understand that most of us have this but just in the few threads and some research I have done, I can't tell if this is the cause of my knee pain and discomfort or not. I have had Xrays in the past and they say I don't have arthritis, but my knees really hurt, more when it is humid/rainy, but also before, during and after working out... sometimes on a long lower body workout they feel pretty good towards the end, but not always... which makes me think that it is because of the imbalance... I have been doing IT stretches on a foam roller before and after workouts as well. but how do you know what muscles are "imbalanced" and what kind of exercises would you do to correct it?

 

[Gayle]

How do you determine whether your muscle imbalance is what is causing pain? Is going to a Dr. or PT the only way?

A good PT should be able to determine this. A condition like patella femoral pain syndrome, where the patella doesn't track properly in the patellar groove, can be caused by or exacerbated by imbalances in strength.