What’s the correct monster walking technique?
To do the monster walk exercise, you need two things: a mini band and a space where you can walk at least 10 steps sideways, back and forth.
The mini band can be placed in three different positions:
- at knee level,
- at ankle level,
- on your feet.
Beginners are advised to place the elastic band at knee height to learn the correct technique. After you’ve mastered the exercise with the band at knee height, you can move it to the ankles or feet.
Read also: “Eight body-shaping exercises with elastic bands”.
The starting position in monster walking is similar to the first phase of the stiff-leg deadlift:
- stand with your feet hip-width apart,
- keep your shoulders down, squeeze your shoulder blades together, and tighten your abdominal muscles,
- bring your torso to a 45-degree angle, pushing your hips back and bending your knees slightly (remember to keep your back straight),
- keep your hands on your hips or hold them together in front of your chest.
To do the monster walk, take a step with one foot, followed by the other, in this position. It’s important to remember a few key points:
- Your feet shouldn’t come together during the exercise; as you take a step with the other foot, keep your feet hip-width apart as a minimum.
- Regardless of where you put your mini band, make sure that it’s tight at all times. Avoid bringing your feet too close, as it reduces the tension of the band, which can make the exercise more difficult and less effective.
- Keep your knees pointing outwards throughout the exercise. Don’t put your foot outside with the knee staying in place and your legs forming the shape of the letter ‘X’. As you make a side step with one foot, begin the movement from the knee and keep your foot directly under your knee at all times.
- Hold your core muscles as tight as you can during the exercise. All movement should happen from the glutes, so if you fail to engage your core properly, you’ll end up using your abdominals to help with the exercise.
In monster walk, you adjust the level of resistance by using an appropriately thick mini band. If you find it difficult to do the exercise, your movements are jerky or you can’t keep your abdominal and back muscles tight, choose a lighter resistance band.
Monster walk is one of those exercises where the main focus is not on the load but rather on the quality of movement and the so-called ‘mind-muscle connection’.
The number of repetitions for each side should also be adjusted individually. For the exercise to be effective, you should perform a minimum of three sets of 10 repetitions each leg. However, based on my personal experience, I’ve found that 20 to 25 repetitions a leg yield the best results for both myself and my clients.
Benefits of monster walk
The monster walk is an exercise that mainly aims to activate the gluteal muscles. While it may not significantly increase the size of your glutes, it will tone them up for other exercises (such as those involving external weights) and help to bring them back to normal after extended periods of sitting. Consequently, it’s advisable to do monster walks at the start of your routine, as a warm-up before the main part of the workout. Another approach is to save monster walking for the end of your training to ‘max out’ your already tired glutes.
In addition to their visual appeal, the gluteal muscles have other important functions, such as stabilizing your knees. Consequently, the monster walk is a good choice not only for those looking to improve the appearance of their buttocks, but also for those with weakened knee joints or practicing sports that require good knee-joint stability, such as running, skiing or snowboarding.
Weakened glutes also increase the risk of low back pain. This is especially important for those with sedentary jobs. When sitting for long periods, the gluteal muscles are not only underused and unable to perform their natural functions (such as maintaining proper body posture) but also physically compressed by the weight of the body. Monster walk efficiently restores proper blood circulation and functionality of the gluteal muscles.
Read also: “Effective exercises for Brazilian buttocks”.
When doing the monster walk, the main focus should be on your glutes. However, anyone who has done this exercise correctly, will confirm that it works practically the whole body. Activating your glutes is one thing, but keeping your core engaged properly while exercising will help you increase not only your lower-body but also upper-body strength.
Monster walk is a versatile exercise that should have a permanent place in the workout regimes of both recreational and professional athletes. It doesn’t require any special training equipment (apart from an elastic exercise band) and can be performed virtually anywhere. It’s a great addition to your workout routine.
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References:
1. https://www.yourhousefitness.com/blog/exercise-tutorial-monster-walk.
2. Frédéric Delavier, „Atlas treningu siłowego”, PZWL, wyd. 2, 2011.
3. Damas F, Libardi CA, Ugrinowitsch C. The development of skeletal muscle hypertrophy through resistance training: the role of muscle damage and muscle protein synthesis. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2018 Mar;118(3):485-500.