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Which means theres a good chanceyoull feel itwhen your hips arent functioning at their best.

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Katie Thompson

The lunge is a great way to exercise the hips.

It stretches andstrengthens the glutes, hamstrings, quads, and evenmuscles in the anklesand core.

Which, actually, is a lot.

Forward lunge

The hip joint is one of the largest joints in the human body.

Basically, hips are meant to move in all directions to some degree.

But in everyday life, most of us really only move forward and backward.

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Thats where lunges come in.

Forward Lunge

The classic lunge has you moving in a familiar direction: forward.

Your hips move this way (forward into flexion) when you walk or sit.

lateral lunge

A lunge, though, helps you move through a deeper range of motion than you normally would.

A stretch in the inner thighs is good, but you shouldnt feel any sharp pain.

Curtsy Lunge

The curtsy lunge is basically a diagonal lunge.

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Gifs and image: Photographer: Katie Thompson.

Hair grooming: Yukiko Tajima.

Makeup: Risako Matsushita.

reverse lunge with twist

Stylists: Rika Watanabe.