If you’re ready to waddle into your new favorite workout, the duck walk exercise was made for you!

This bodyweight workout targets your glutes and quadriceps and it’s a great way to work your hip flexors.

Nervous about trying something new? Time to duck up and give it a shot! Here’s how to do the duck walk exercise:

  1. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart.
  2. Squat down by bending at your knees to lower your hips down and behind you. (Pretend you’re going to sit in a chair.)
  3. Go as deep as you can while keeping a straight spine and without lifting your toes or heels. You can lift your arms in front of you to help you balance.
  4. Keeping your hips the same distance from the floor, take a step forward with one foot, landing with a flat foot.
  5. Step forward with your other foot.
  6. Repeat forward as needed, then reverse to walk backward.

If you look like you’re trying to creep up behind someone while sitting on a wheely stool, you’re probably doing it right! Feel free to grab a weight if you could use a little more of a challenge.

How to follow perfect form

Using proper form is the key to getting a killer workout that doesn’t hurt your bod.

  • Engage your core. The duck walk might be primarily a lower body workout, but your core should still be working! This helps protect your lower back.
  • Keep your chest up. This helps you keep your weight centered over your heels.
  • Relax your neck. Try not to look up or down. This helps your spine stay in line.
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This challenging workout is a great way to involve lots of important muscle groups in a single move.

1. Strengthen your hip flexors

Flex on ‘em with stronger hip flexors. These muscles connect your leg to your trunk and are the ones that you use to walk and lift your leg.

If you find your hips are too tight, try some hip opening exercises to work up to the duck walk.

2. Boost your butt

The duck walk strengthens your gluteus maximus. Those are the large, powerful muscles that allow you to squat and lift heavy objects. And the bigger these muscles get, the bigger your booty can grow.

Along with adding some extra butt beauty, studies have shown that strong glutes help prevent injuries.

Warm up and cool down. A few reps done with perfect form is much better for your body than cranking out a bunch of incorrect ones. You won’t get the same benefit from the moves and you could end up hurting yourself.

Remember: If you feel any pain, stop.

Depending on what muscles you’re looking to work, you can substitute the duck walk with these other workouts:

The duck walk is a quacking good exercise that works your glutes, quads, and hip flexors. It’s a great way to strengthen these important muscles using only your bodyweight. Just make sure you’re following proper form to protect your lower back and knees.