Ouches it what they should be called I just started using them as a main exercise and boy do I know why I waited.

Try a few variations, Bill. A standing lunge - no step out (you start and end with legs extended) and use something for balance, as Raz suggested. You will get a good workout w/o using any weights - your body as resistance is more than enough. Lunges w/o any weights have left me unable to climb stairs.

Nat