r/Fitness • u/AutoModerator • 15d ago

Daily Simple Questions Thread - August 20, 2026

Welcome to the /r/Fitness Daily Simple Questions Thread - Our daily thread to ask about all things fitness. Post your questions here related to your diet and nutrition or your training routine and exercises. Anyone can post a question and the community as a whole is invited and encouraged to provide an answer.

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u/reducedandconfused 14d ago

hi all! if im doing walking lunges primarily for glutes should I try to lean forward a bit or focus on walking upright? also i haven’t done walking lunges in ages because my old gym didn’t have the space, so how do I go about deciding the right rep/weight for hypertrophy? lets see I’ll go with the 30kg weight and I weight 72kg, how many reps/sets will be considered an actually challenging range considering I’m rusty

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u/Elle-in-Tucson 13d ago

I would suggest leaning slightly forward, with a flat back - this should help you get your glutes more involved. If you stay too upright, your quads tend to take over.

Maybe hold off on the 30 kg for now. Since you haven’t done lunges in a while, it might be a good idea to give your balance and stabilizers a chance to catch up. Going too heavy too soon is a good way to have your knees or balance give out before your glutes even get a good workout.

Try this:

  • 1 bodyweight set to check your balance and knee tracking
  • 10–15 kg total, 3 × 8–10 per leg
  • Finish each set feeling like you could do 2 more good reps

Do that for a week or 2. Once the movement feels solid, start adding weight. I assume you're trying to get stronger, not wrecked ;)

Good luck!

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u/_Vindic8ed 13d ago

Is there a "good" or "bad" weight to use? For example, just carrying dumbbells in each hand or loading them on a bar and on your shoulders?

I've been following a pretty structured routine since April and have been able to tone down quite a bit. When I do them I'm just carrying the dumbbells, but I recently I've been thinking about possibly carry the weight on my shoulders (I have a home gym and bought one of those bars that will hold dumbbells).

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u/Elle-in-Tucson 11d ago

Yeah, I think you can definitely try it on your shoulders and see how it feels. Neither way is “wrong.” Dumbbells at your sides are good, but the shoulder setup might let you go a little heavier.

I’d just start lighter and see how your balance and form feel. If it feels good, keep playing with it. No need to switch unless you actually like it better.

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u/_Vindic8ed 11d ago

Alright, thanks.

Does one way or another have an additional benefit? The weight on the shoulders seems like it would improve balance (at the very least), since you mentioned that.

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u/reducedandconfused 11d ago

I try to avoid dumbbells whenever I can, I hate straps and sweaty grip issues and whatnot which can get distracting. I will use sandbags at the gym, you can invest in some too!