Duck Walk

Travel forward in a full deep squat, building end-range hip, knee and ankle tolerance. Three lengths of eight metres with the heels down before you add distance or a load in the hands.

DIFFICULTY
Intermediate
EQUIPMENT
Bodyweight
PRIMARY MUSCLES
Quads · Glutes
ALSO WORKS
Adductors · Calves · Lower back · Tibialis Anterior
HOW TO DO IT
  1. 01Squat as deep as you can with the feet flat and the toes turned slightly out.
  2. 02Keep the chest as upright as your hip range allows and the arms forward for balance.
  3. 03Step one foot forward a short distance without rising out of the squat.
  4. 04Shift the weight over it and bring the other foot through.
  5. 05Travel the set distance, then stand and walk back to reset.
COACHING CUES
  1. 01Stay down, no bobbing up between steps.
  2. 02Heels flat, short steps.
  3. 03Chest tall, eyes forward.
COMMON MISTAKES
  1. 01Rising out of the squat between steps, which removes the end-range exposure that is the whole reason for the drill.
  2. 02Heels lifting, which pushes the load into the front of the knee instead of spreading it through the hip.
  3. 03Doing too much volume with cranky knees, since this is a high-flexion position that needs building into gradually.

Note: Reference material, not a prescription. Load, volume and whether this movement suits you at all depends on your assessment — if something hurts, stop and get it looked at.

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