The human body evolved to walk on two legs millions of years ago, but before that, our ancestors moved more like apes—on four limbs. While we don’t spend much time on all fours anymore, the lateral gorilla walk exercise can help us build total-body strength and mobility. This movement engages major muscle groups, including the shoulders and core, and stretches areas that tend to be tight, such as the hips and wrists. The gorilla walk exercise involves moving in multiple planes of motion simultaneously, making it a challenging but effective workout for improving strength, balance, and coordination.
You can perform the gorilla walk exercise every day, as long as it feels good. It works well as a warmup or dynamic stretch routine before a strength session and can even be used as a stand-alone active recovery day workout. This functional movement is ideal for anyone looking to improve balance, mobility, and flexibility, as well as those training for obstacle course races like Spartan or Tough Mudder.
However, the gorilla walk exercise isn’t suitable for everyone, especially those with restrictive injuries in the ankle, knee, or hip, or those who cannot properly sit down in a low squat position pain-free. Proper form is essential to avoid injury, and modifications can be made to gradually build up to the full movement. This advanced exercise offers a wide range of benefits, including improved hip mobility, increased balance and coordination, strengthened core and shoulders, improved wrist flexibility, elevated heart rate, and the ability to reveal muscle imbalances and weaknesses. With practice and the help of a personal trainer, anyone can work up to performing the gorilla walk exercise effectively.
