Sadly, the pizza plate lunge isn’t quite as tasty as it sounds, but if you’re looking for a new way to blast your lower body, work your core, and sculpt the muscles in your back and shoulders, I’ve found it.
Strength coach Ben Bergeron, who shares the move on Instagram, says, “I love movements that build a more physically formidable human. Pizza plate lunges ask a lot of your body at once.”
Read on to find out how to do the pizza plate lunge with good form and the benefits you’ll build. As a reminder, if you’re a complete beginner, pregnant or postpartum, or you’re recovering from an injury, this might not be the right move for you and your body. It’s always best to seek personalized advice from a qualified professional.
How to do pizza plate lunges
For this exercise, you’ll need a heavy weight plate. The right weight will feel challenging, but not impossible, by the final few reps.
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, chest open and core braced.
- Hold a heavy weight plate across your forearms, as if you were a waiter carrying a pizza tray. Your elbows should be bent at 90 degrees. Keep your arms in this position throughout the exercise.
- Step forward with one leg and lower your back knee to the ground into a lunge. Let your back knee slightly touch the floor, and keep your front thigh parallel to the ground.
- Drive through your front foot and bring your back foot forward, then step into the next lunge.
Keep alternating legs, keeping your tempo controlled and your core engaged throughout. Aim for 10 reps on each side.
What are the benefits?
Unlike squats, this move really blasts a lot of muscle groups, delivering a full-body challenge. “Your quads and glutes drive you out of each step,” says Bergeron. “Your hamstrings and adductors stabilize the hips and knees. Your abs and obliques brace to keep your torso from folding or rotating. Your spinal erectors keep you tall.
"Your shoulders, upper back, chest and arms work isometrically to keep the plate up and away from you. And because you’re moving on one leg at a time, all of it has to happen while you balance, stabilize and control your body through space.”
Compared to a bodyweight lunge or a walking lunge, the pizza plate hold will force your centre of gravity forward, meaning your core and upper back work harder to keep you upright.
This exercise is a great way to build the full-body, functional strength you need to do everyday activities, like carrying a heavy load of groceries or a child. I added this to my routine for a week as a strength finisher, and it’s seriously harder than it looks. What are you waiting for? Add this to your next leg day and let us know how you get on.
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