Because of the location of the weight, your quads are forced to engage throughout the entire movement, and the entire front side of your upper leg is in overdrive when you’re lowering the weight. That often led to training one leg, resting and repeating; completing all sets and reps for a single portion before switching the Monkey Foot to the other leg. You can’t use it for cardio or plyometric exercises— doing so would mean a fast ticket to an ankle or foot injury — but your dumbbell should remain stable when doing static exercises due to the claw-like clamps that secure the handle to the AnimalHouse MonkeyFeet attachment. This small but mighty tool can be an excellent option for those who can’t fit large machines in their home gym space. The device should be tightly secured to your shoe and you shouldn’t be able to move your foot around inside.

I had absolutely no problems using the MonkeyFeet barefoot, although it’s definitely not super comfortable. If you’ve never tried fire hydrants, they may not look like much, but trust me this is a tough exercise. Each AnimalHouse MonkeyFeet attachment can hold up to a 160-pound dumbbell, so anyone from beginnersto advanced lifters can use them. However, the fact that this is intended to hold heavy weights and be lifted and lowered repeatedly may cause wear and tear on the cheap plastic straps in time.If you have Pro Style Dumbbells (with 10 LBS Plates on the ends) - you will obviously need them to be longer than if you have more compact dumbbells (e.

Remember that you’ll also need to purchase a dumbbell or a dumbbell set if you don’t already have one. If you have a softer ligament there, though, you might see more flexibility in the foot — a sure sign of “monkey feet.In doing so, it opens the door to dozens of leg and core training movements usually reserved for machines. You could try checking out Xero Shoes, as they are thinner and might be able to fit the Monkey Feet on them. Animalhouse Fitness is known for its innovative products that allow home gym owners with limited budgets and space to train their lower bodies in various ways. However if you would rather attach weight plates to your feet instead THEN please check out my other video “12 Easy Home Gym Hacks Using Soft Loop Tiedown Straps. A soon to be published study from the University of Liverpool backs up that data, New Scientist reports.

Once the device is in place, you can do leg extensions, standing or lying hamstring curls, donkey kicks, standing side leg raises, and more. Check out my article where I cover several cheap and easy MonkeyFeet alternatives so you can start doing these workouts today! This is one of the best movements for developing your VMO, combating patella tendonitis, and just keeping your knees in good nick!This exercise might not look like it does a whole lot, but it’s actually really tough and is an incredible hip flexor workout! Messing around with a belt and the chain and several weight plates is quite annoying in between each set. The hands of catarrhines show a greater range of precise manipulative activity than those of other primates. This might be the single most effective RDL variation I’ve seen, mainly because you’re not having to hold a dumbbell in your hand.