ExercisesPrimal / Animal Movement
Monkey Walk: A Complete Guide
Quick Intro
The Monkey Walk is an animal-movement exercise performed from a deep squat with the hands on the floor, stepping one hand far forward, then jumping or swinging both feet forward to land outside that hand before repeating with the other hand. Landing the feet outside the leading hand each time makes this bounding pattern faster and more dynamic than a hand-walking crawl.
Equipment Needed
No equipment is required. A yoga mat is optional if a hard floor makes the repeated hand contact uncomfortable.
Why It Matters
The leapfrogging action takes explosive hip drive and more hip mobility than a slower crawling walk. A muscle at the back of the thigh (hamstrings, biceps femoris) and the deep hip flexor (hip flexors, iliopsoas) drive the explosive hip action that swings the feet forward, and the front of the shoulder cap (deltoid, anterior) and a muscle along the side of the ribcage (serratus anterior) bear weight through each hand reach. A front thigh muscle that crosses both the hip and knee (quadriceps, rectus femoris) helps absorb the landing as the feet come down outside the hand, and the inner thigh muscles (adductors) help control the wider foot placement on landing.
When to Do It
The Monkey Walk works well as a dynamic locomotion drill early in a session while the legs are fresh, or as a hip-mobility and coordination challenge on its own. Two or three sessions a week suits most people building this bounding pattern.
Anyone with a current wrist, hip or lower back issue should still get individual guidance before starting, since the explosive hip drive and repeated hand-loading both load all three.
Getting Ready
A few minutes of deep squat holds and wrist circles open the hips and wrists before asking them to bound repeatedly. A few isolated, slow leapfrog steps previews the feet-landing-outside-the-hand pattern before building speed.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. The setup. Squat deeply with the hands on the floor between the feet.
2. The hand step. Step one hand far forward.
3. The leapfrog. Jump or swing both feet forward to land outside that hand.
4. The repeat. Step the other hand forward and repeat the leapfrogging pattern.
How Many, How Often
The Monkey Walk is dosed by distance, since the goal is sustaining the bounding pattern over ground covered.
| Level | Where you’re at | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner | New to the leapfrogging hand-to-foot pattern | 3 sets of 8 to 10 feet, moving slowly and landing with control |
| Intermediate | The feet land consistently outside the leading hand | 3 to 4 sets of 12 to 18 feet at a lighter, springier pace |
| Advanced | Comfortable with a fast, springy bounding rhythm | 4 sets of 18 to 25 feet, keeping the movement light through the ankles |
Letting the feet land consistently outside, not behind, the leading hand matters more here than covering ground quickly, since landing behind the hand turns the bound back into a slower crawl.
Modifications and Variations
As the easier version, Monkey Walk — Step (No Swing) replaces the leapfrogging jump with a controlled step, removing the bounding element while the hand-to-foot sequencing is learned.
As the harder version, Monkey Walk — Speed increases the pace of the same leapfrogging pattern, raising the coordination and reactive demand.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Letting the feet land behind the leading hand. Landing short, behind rather than outside the hand, turns this into a slower crawling pattern. Deliberately landing the feet outside the hand on each rep keeps the hip drive in the movement.
Moving with a heavy, plodding step. Letting each landing sink flat and heavy through the ankles loses the light, springy quality this bounding pattern depends on. Staying light and quick through the ankles on every landing keeps the rhythm springy.
Rushing the hand placement. Slapping the leading hand down without control skips the setup this pattern relies on for a clean leapfrog. A deliberate, controlled hand step sets up a cleaner bound.
After Your Set
Standing and folding forward with the knees soft releases the hamstrings and hips after a set of bounding. A few gentle wrist stretches finish easing the wrists that supported the repeated hand steps.
Going Deeper
The Monkey Walk is a dynamic locomotion drill for anyone comfortable with slower hand-walking patterns, since the leapfrogging bound trains explosive hip drive and hip mobility that a plain crawl doesn’t ask for. The bounding rhythm is more tiring to sustain than it looks, so the feet tend to start landing closer to, or even behind, the leading hand well before the arms tire, which turns the pattern back into a slower crawl. Holding a consistent landing position outside the hand, even at the cost of distance, keeps the bounding quality longer.
Someone new to this pattern typically learns the leapfrogging sequence within the first few sessions, then works toward a longer, springier set over three to five weeks as hip mobility and coordination build.
How to Know You’re Improving
- Feet that consistently land outside, not behind, the leading hand
- A landing that stays light and springy through the ankles rather than heavy
- A hand placement that stays deliberate and controlled on every step
- A distance that keeps growing while the bounding rhythm holds
Where the feet land relative to the leading hand tells more about progress than the distance covered.
Muscles Worked
- Biceps Femoris (a muscle at the back of the thigh, driving the explosive hip action)
- Iliopsoas (the deep hip flexor, swinging the feet forward)
- Anterior Deltoid (the front of the shoulder cap, bearing weight through the hands as the body swings across)
- Serratus Anterior (a muscle along the side of the ribcage, steadying the shoulder blade as the hands take the weight)
- Rectus Femoris (a front thigh muscle that crosses both the hip and knee, absorbing the landing)
- Adductors (the inner thigh muscles, controlling the wider foot placement on landing)
FAQ
Is the Monkey Walk the same as the Ape Walk? No. Both are hand-walking patterns from a deep squat, but in the Ape Walk the feet typically land behind or close to the hands, while the Monkey Walk’s feet leapfrog outside the leading hand in a faster, more dynamic bound.
Why does landing outside the hand matter so much? Landing outside the hand demands considerably more hip mobility and explosive drive than landing behind it, which is the added challenge that sets this bounding pattern apart from a slower crawl.
What’s the difference between this and Monkey Walk — Speed? Monkey Walk — Speed keeps the same leapfrogging pattern but increases the pace, asking for faster reaction and coordination on top of the same hip mobility demand.
Is some hip or wrist fatigue after this exercise normal? A light, worked feeling through the hips and wrists after several sets is expected. A sharp pain in the hip or wrist is different and worth having a doctor or physical therapist look at.
How often should the Monkey Walk be trained? A couple of sessions a week suits most people well, often early in a session while the legs are still fresh for the bounding demand.
Related to Monkey Walk — Step (No Swing) as the easier version and Monkey Walk — Speed as the harder one.