The Lateral Lunge Stretch with Trunk Rotation is a multiplanar dynamic stretching exercise for the legs and obliques that is ideal for tennis players
The lateral lunge stretch with trunk rotation reduce the risk of injury, optimizes power-production capabilities, improving flexibility and stability by increasing muscle tissue temperature.
Find out more about the benefits of a proper warm up routine.
This dynamic stretch is essential for tennis players because it mimics the synchronized muscle activation seen during open stance stroke production and lateral baseline movement and hence is preparing you for match play.
Therefore, the lateral lunge stretch with trunk rotation should be one of the stretches in your dynamic stretching routine.
If you haven’t done any lateral lunging before then warm up the adductors first before stepping into full range of motion.
Lateral Lunge Stretch Progression
Implement the stretch into your dynamic stretching routine prior to your training or workout. This is also a great time to mentally prepare yourself.
Make sure you can control the action throughout the entire range of motion. Otherwise you defeat the purpose of the exercise.
Very often, athletes are not focused and they just go through the motions. They become sloppy. Especially when it comes to maintaining dynamic stability.
Here are the progression levels:
- Beginner: look down during the action
- Advanced: look forward during the action & increase speed
- Professional: close your eyes
As a beginner you want to perform the stretch in a controlled fashion, especially during the trunk rotation, so that you can maintain dynamic stability throughout the stretch.
Advanced athletes can speed up the action to increase the dynamic stability requirements.
Professional athletes can close their eyes during the action. That makes it even more difficult to maintain dynamic stability throughout the action.
Lateral Lunge Stretch Description Summary
- Stand straight with feet close together
- Step sideways with the left foot and bend the left knee until left knee is at 90˚ and right leg is straight; knee must not move beyond toes
- Rotate trunk to the left, then to the right
- Push-off with the left foot and lunge to the right side until right knee is at 90˚ and left leg is straight; knee must not move beyond toes
- Rotate trunk to the left, then to the right
Targeted Musculature
- Hip Adductors
- Hip Abductors
- Glutes
- Obliques
More Dynamic Stretches
Of course we have more great dynamic stretches that you can do before you start playing tennis to get yourself prepared and ready for action.
Simply chose 6-8 dynamic stretches for your dynamic stretch routine that warm up the major muscle groups of the legs, hip and core and you are ready to go!
Here are a few suggestions:
- Lunge And Twist Core Stretch
- Single Leg Romanian Deadlift Quadriceps Stretch
- Dynamic Piriformis Stretch
Other Glute And Adductor Stretches For You
Apart from the dynamic lateral lunge stretch with trunk rotation we have some other stretches for you that target the muscles acting on the hip.
You can use these stretches during the cool down once you are finished with your match or training session.
Simply click on them to learn more or watch the videos:
Training Zone
In this section we provide you with some more workouts and training tips you may be interested in to optimize your training:
