Do I love some lunges more than others?   Sort of.  It really depends on the athlete and what we are trying to train.  If the athlete happens to be a hockey goalie or skater, then I love the Reverse Lunge above all others.

I am not saying that you should NOT do the other lunge varieties, but I put more emphasis on the reverse variations.

The forward lunge is a great exercise for teaching linear deceleration/acceleration.  As the athlete steps forward they need to use their quadriceps to decelerate as they descend into the lunge and rely on the quads once again to drive back up to the starting position.

You can see how this lunge variation would be really helpful for an athlete who needs that linear deceleration and acceleration – like a basketball running the floor and then stopping to hustle back on defense.  Or a wide receiver running a down and out pattern – they need to decelerate linearly and cut to the outside.

But the hockey player does not stop or decelerate off their front foot with their foot pointing forward.  Decelerations and accelerations are lateral and more glute dominant.

The reverse lunge puts more emphasis on the muscles you need most for lateral post to post pushes if you are a goalie or stops and starts if you are a skater.

Check out the video below for a few reverse lunge variations that you would be wise to include in your off-ice hockey training.  You will not do them all in the same workout, but you will pepper them in as you rotate your workouts on a monthly basis.

The Best Lunge Variation for Off-Ice Hockey Training

If you are not sure how to vary your training on a monthly basis using the same training principles the pros do, then you might want to check out the Hockey Workout Club or the Goalie Workout Club.

Happy training gang!
Cheers,
M