A few months ago, I started using my buddy’s MonkeyFeet during some of our workouts. Realizing that I wanted one of my own, I picked one up from Animal House Fitness and haven’t looked back. And me, being the movement geek that I am, I’ve been doing some exercises with it that few others online seem to be doing.

So, if you want some solid new hip-dominant exercises to try when using MonkeyFeet, this article is for you!

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Exercise 1: Prone internal & external rotations
Exercise 2: Supine cross-body leg drops
Exercise 3: Modified firekicks
Exercise 4: Single-leg RDL’s
Exercise 5: Fire hydrants
Exercise 6: Bird Dogs

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Related article: The BEST Glute Medius & Minimus Exercise that No One is Showing You

As we kick this article off, keep in mind that there’s nothing wrong with the very traditional MonkeyFeet exercises that most individuals are doing. The very standard exercises such as knee extensions, standing hip flexion, standing hamstring curls, glute kickbacks, etc., are all fantastic exercises that you should not be skipping out on.

I simply thought it’d be valuable to you, the reader, to have some other exceptionally awesome (albeit less common) exercises for your hips and legs that you could perhaps incorporate into your standard MonkeyFeet arsenal of exercises.

As you go through this article, keep in mind that you may have to tweak or modify any of the exercises to make them more effective or ideal for you. Don’t be afraid to experiment with movement as needed. Listen to your body!

In other words: there’s no one, single universal way that an exercise must be performed; small, individual changes to movement and range of motion are often required for individuals based on their body’s overall fitness and abilities.

Also, if you want some more unconventional (and very challenging) MonkeyFeet Exercises to try, check out my other article below (which also has a YouTube video to walk you through each exercise!)

Three Challenging MonkeyFeet Exercises For Stronger Legs (Must Try)

Exercise 1: Prone internal & external rotations

What I absolutely love about this exercise is that it is a great way to stretch and mobilize the hip in addition to strengthening it. You can use a moderately heavy weight for this one, especially if you’re more interested in the stretching component.

To perform the prone internal & external rotations:

1. Lay on your stomach and ensure that your lower back is flat. Do NOT arch your lower back at any point throughout this movement, as it will reduce the strengthening component to the glute medius and glute minimus muscles for one phase of the movement.
2. Keep your knee bent to 90 degrees and let your leg slowly fall to the outside (causing your thigh to rotate inwards/internally).
3. Go as far as you can WITHOUT letting your lower back twist or rotate at all.
4. Pull your leg back up, and then SLOWLY let it drop inwards (causing the thigh to rotate outwards/externally).
5. Come back to the top and repeat for desired repetitions.

Exercise 2: Supine cross-body leg drops

There’s probably a more succinct or creative name out there for this exercise, but I don’t know what it would be. When done as part of a dynamic warmup, it’s often referred to as an Eagle. However, I’ve modified it somewhat when doing this movement with a weighted MonkeyFeet since it tends to be more spine-friendly that way.

You will want to use a very light weight for this exercise (I use 5 pounds)!

To perform the cross-body leg drops

1. Lay on your back with your leg straight up towards the ceiling
2. SLOWLY, drop your leg down, across your body, at about 45 degrees of hip flexion
3. Once the weight taps the ground, pull your leg straight back up to the starting position without bending your knee.
4. Repeat for as many repetitions as desired.

Exercise 3: Modified firekicks

The traditional firekick is performed with a Theraband or resistance band around the ankle and anchored across the body. It’s an outstanding exercise for developing hip strength and movement control.

So, we’re going to do a standard firekicks, but WHILE WEARING a MonkeyFeet with a light weight attached. Get ready for an amazingly beneficial movement and challenge!

To perform the modified firekicks:

1. Stand perpendicular to the band’s anchor point so that your MonkeyFeet leg is the further of the two legs from the band’s anchor point. Have the band attached around your ankle.
2. Stand as tall as possible and lift your leg up to a fully flexed position.
3. Next, while holding your hip flexed, extend (straighten) your knee so that your leg is straight.
4. Now, SLOWLY lower it down to the ground.
5. Bring your foot back underneath you and repeat for desired repetitions.

*Make sure to avoid any twisting of your body or having the band pull your leg across the midline of your body!*

You will really need to fight for control on this one – and that’s the whole point!

Exercise 4: Single-leg RDL’s

Time to absolutely light up the hamstring muscles AND the gluteal muscles at the same time.

For this exercise, we’re going to. Combine the movements of a straight-leg deadlift (often called a Romanian deadlift, also known as an RDL) with a straight-leg hip extension. The leg with the attached weight will be doing the kickback, while the stance leg will be performing the RDL.

Related article: No Equipment Required: This Hamstring Exercise Will Light You Up!

To perform the single-leg RDL’s

1. Start in a standing position, as tall as possible, with all of your weight on your stance leg.
2. Initiate a hip-hinge movement while your weighted leg simultaneously extends straight backwards. Be sure to keep this leg straight or only have a very minor bend (AKA a “soft bend”).
3. As you hinge forward, keep your stance leg straight (using only a soft bend) as you hinge as far forward as possible WITHOUT bending your knee or rounding your back.
4. Once you’ve gone as far forward as you can, SLOWLY return to the starting position while maintaining pristine control throughout the entire movement.
5. Repeat for your desired number of repetitions.

Exercise 5: Fire hydrants

The fire hydrant is a classic glute med & glute min strengthening exercise. It can be performed with just the leg itself, with resistance bands, or…get ready for it…with a MonkeyFeet! You won’t need much weight for this movement at all, trust me.

Also, be sure to do this movement WITHOUT twisting or rotating your spine or torso at all, as this twisting movement recruits other muscles, making the exercise much less demanding (and thus, less effective) on the hip muscles that we’re trying to target here.

To perform the fire hydrants:

1. Start in a 4-point (quadruped) position.
2. Slowly begin to lift your leg straight out to the side, ensuring to move ONLY at your hip joint. The movement should look like a dog lifting its leg to pee on a fire hydrant.
3. Lift as high as you can without rotating your torso at all. Being strict with this movement will likely reduce how high you can lift your leg but will confine much more of the effort to your hip muscles.
4. Slowly lower your leg back to the starting position.
5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Exercise 6: Bird Dogs

The bird dog is a bread-and-butter classic exercise for improving core strength, spinal stability and overall movement control of the body. Now, we’re going to add a hip strengthening component to this already outstanding exercise.

To perform the bird dogs:

1. Start in the four-point (quadruped) position.
2. AT THE SAME TIME, lift your weighted foot and the opposite hand off the floor.
3. Once you have control with only two points of contact, push your arm forward at the same time you extend your leg straight backward.
4. Go as far back with your leg as you can WITHOUT arching your back.
5. Hold this extended position for a split-second, then SLOWLY return to the starting position.
6. Ensure throughout the entire movement that you don’t let your torso rotate/leg one hip drop down lower than the other.
7. Repeat for your desired number of repetitions.

Final thoughts

It’s always fun to “monkey around” with exercises to come up with new challenges and movement patterns. So long as it serves a purpose for you and is safe to perform, having some less common or unconventional exercises in your arsenal can be a great way to make training more enjoyable while also harvesting some additional benefits.

Give these exercises a try, and don’t be afraid to tweak them up and get creative to discover more exercises. Sure, you want your exercises to be functional and serve a purpose. Still, there’s nothing wrong with making them more enjoyable and expanding your exercise repertoire in the process.

Have fun!