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The duck walk is a bodyweight exercise that primarily targets the lower body muscles while also working on the core. It's a compound exercise that largely works on the quadriceps and glutes but it can also offer benefits to tight hip flexor muscles.
The best part about the duck walk exercise is that it’s a beginner-friendly movement and suitable for all fitness level. It can be done at home or the gym for the purpose of boosting overall lower body strength and stamina and for improving athletic performance as a whole.
What muscles does the walk duck exercise target?
Being a compound exercise, the duck walk exercise targets more than a single muscle group in the body. The movement as well as the position during this exercise practically trains every major muscle group in the lower body, but each muscle is not trained equally.
The major muscles targeted by the duck walk exercise are the large muscle groups of the lower body, including the glutes, calves, hip flexors and quadriceps. All these muscles are responsible for carrying out important activities and bodily movements like walking, standing and balancing.
Secondary muscles that are involved and trained during this exercise are the hamstrings, erector spinae and abdominal muscles.
How to do the duck walk exercise with proper form?
Here’s how you can perform this exercise correctly and safely:
- Start standing with your feet at shoulder distance and with your back straight. Extend your arms straight in the front to help you balance.
- Take a squat position by lowering your hips down and bending at the knees while keeping the core muscles engaged.
- Squat down as deep as you can without lifting your heels or toes while keeping the spine straight.
- Take a step forward with the right foot followed by the left, and move forward for a few steps.
- Reverse the movement, and start walking backwards.
Some important tips to follow
When doing the duck walk exercise, it's important to use proper form so that you don’t hurt yourself and achieve all the benefits of this effective bodyweight exercise.
To help you with proper form, here are some tips you should remember:
Do not put pressure on the neck: When performing the walking duck, do not look up or down. Instead, keep the neck straight and neutral, as that will help your spine to stay in line during the movement.
Engage your midsection: Engaging the core muscles throughout the exercise is a good way to protect the lower back and most importantly, to attain core-strengthening benefits.
Keep your pecs straight and up: Keeping your chest up during the duck walk will help keep your bodyweight centered and ensure perfect form.
What are the benefits of the duck walk exercise?
From being an effective compound exercise and strengthening the muscles in the lower body to burning fat and targeting the core, this exercise offers a wide range of advantages.
Here are some top benefits of practicing the walk duck regularly:
It works on the hip flexors
If your hips have become too stiff due to a prolonged sitting job, practicing some hip-loosening exercises, like the duck walk, can help. Regular practice of this bodyweight exercise can loosen the hip flexor muscles while also strengthening them.
It's a good calf-strengthening exercise
Practicing the walk duck tones and strengthen the calves and also works on the ankles. That strengthens the leg muscles and keeps sprains and cramps at bay.
It can be done as a kegel exercise
Another great benefit of the duck walk exercise is that it can be used in kegel workout for targeting the pelvic floor muscles. This exercise can be really effective for pregnant women who want to achieve tighter pelvic muscles.
It strengthens glutes
The duck walk exercise trains the glutes, particularly the gluteus maximus and helps strengthen them.
The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle that helps in different movements like squatting and lifting objects. Strengthening the glutes also makes the butts look more well-defined and toned and even helps prevent injuries.
It helps burn fat
Regular practice of this exercise helps burn a lot of calories while also reducing fat, specifically from the lower abdomen region without putting extra strain on your joints.
Overall, the duck walk is quite an amazing and productive exercise that not only works on major lower body muscles but a regular and consistent practice of this exercise is sure to strengthen your core and boost your athletic performance.
Just make sure you are using the proper form so that your knees and lower back are protected.
