Monster walk exercise: How to do this glute-strengthening exercise correctly?

Monster walk is a weird name for an exercise, but did you know that it comes with plenty of benefits, particularly for the glutes? Yes, that’s right.

If you have a sedentary lifestyle that has made the lower body muscles stiff and prone to injuries, practicing the monster walk exercise can help counteract these effects by strengthening the glutes and activating the hip abductor muscles.

It's an easy and highly effective exercise that's done using a resistance band. When done correctly and regularly, it helps develop lower body strength, loosen up muscles and prevent injuries and falls, too. This exercise is a great way to develop strength through the hips and supporting muscles.

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Muscles worked

Monster walk is done using a resistance band. (Photo via Pexels/Pavel Danilyuk)

Monster walks are a low-impact exercise that does wonders on the glutes, particularly the gluteus medius. Although it’s an easy exercise, you are surely going to feel soreness in your muscles the next day.

The primary muscles worked during this exercise include:

• glutes
• hip abductors
• hip adductors
• hip flexors
• calves

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Benefits of monster walk

It's easy and accessible

The monster walk exercise is surprisingly easy and accessible for almost everyone, be it beginners or advanced exercisers. It can be done at the gym or can be added to any at-home workout session.

It works great on hip abductors

It strengthens the hip abductors. (Photo via Pexels/Ivan Samkov) )

If you want to target and strengthen your hip abductors, look no further than monster walk. These muscles work simultaneously with the legs and help them move away from the midline of the torso.

It prevents injuries

By improving strength in the glutes and the surrounding muscles, you're certainly less prone to falls and injuries, especially when performing advanced lifting exercises, like deadlifts, back squats and other movements.

It improves hip stability

Targeting the hip abductor muscles and working on them regularly with exercises like the monster walk can help boost stability of your hips. That can prevent injuries, falls and other muscle mishaps in the long run.

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How to perform a banded monster walk?

It's done with a resistance band around the knees or feet. (Photo via Pexels/SHVETS production

There are two variations of practicing this exercise – with a resistance band around your knees or around your feet.

#1 Resistance band around the knees

In this version, you have to loop the resistance band around the knees and slightly closer to the hips. This position allows for resistance to be put through the hip’s external and internal rotation.

How to do it?

• Stand upright with the feet at shoulder distance, and loop a resistance band around the knees or lower thighs.
• Slightly bend your knees to come into a half-squat position, and place your hands on your hips. This squat position allows for additional hip involvement.
• Lean forward while keeping the core muscles tight, and take a step forward with one foot, followed by the other. Make sure to maintain contraction in the resistance band, and keep your feet parallel.
• Keep your steps wide, as that will help activate the outer glute muscles.
• Continue walking for a few counts, and return to the starting position.

#2 Resistance band around feet

This variation of the monster walk exercise challenges the evertors of the foot, including the muscles outside the ankle, foot and calf. These muscles help lift the lateral side of the foot and are also responsible for ankle stability.

How to do it?

• Stand straight with your feet at a shoulder-width distance. Loop a mini resistance band around your feet.
• Bend your knees, and push your hips back for a squat position, and place your hands on the hips.
• Lean forward, and take a wide step with the left foot towards your midline. Move your leg to the left, and repeat the movement with the opposite foot.
• As you do that, make sure to keep the hips level and feet parallel while walking. Keep your knees out throughout the movement.

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The monster walk exercise is one of many resistance band exercises that you can easily practice at the gym or at home and get an effective glute-strengthening workout.

You can add this exercise to your lower body strength training routine or perform it as part of your warm-up or cool-down session post workout.