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Introduction
Monkey Feet come from the company Animal House Fitness. It’s not quite the household name in the home gym community, but the Monkey Feet do seem to continue to grow in popularity. It is a simple device that allows you to add weight (via dumbbells) to the bottom of your foot to perform countless exercises.
It seems like a pretty basic concept and simple device, but how well does it work?
After having and using Monkey Feet for almost a year I want to share what this product does well and where you might find some annoyances. Hopefully, we will answer the value question for you as you may look to buy.
Within this Money Feet review, I’ll discuss build quality, how it works, benefits/drawbacks, and more.
Let’s get into it.
Build Quality
The design of the Monkey Feet is relatively simple. If you were to describe it to someone who has never seen it, you wouldn’t be far off to say that it is a snowboard binding with a clamp for dumbbells on the heel.
The device uses a majority of thick, durable plastic. The buckle uses some metal as well as nuts and bolts. There are also thick metal rings that keep the primary moving parts together.
The ankle support, as well as the front of the securing piece that lays over the top of your foot, are lined with a thick, dense foam. Where the bottom of your shoe sits is lined with a grippy rubber, and the dumbbell clamp uses the same rubber. This gives some protection to the handle of your dumbbell.
There is a lot of plastic being used, but in a situation like this, plastic works. Its build quality is solid and durable. The strap seems like the weak point, but after about a year, there are no signs of wear and tear. Animal House also sells replacement straps as well as larger sizes.
How does it work?
The binding folds in half, meaning the heel support folds forward down to the toe. When it is folded forward, it opens up the circular clamp underneath the heel allowing you to place a dumbbell in the clamp.
Lay a dumbbell on the floor and close the clamp around the dumbbell handle by unfolding the device.
From there, all you need to do is to strap your foot in like you would a snowboard binding or like you would putting on roller skates.
Benefits
Monkey Feet definitely have some major upside. The number of movements you can accomplish can take the place of large machines or add beneficial movements you may have never even thought of. That, mixed with the affordable price and the fact that they don’t take up any extra space make them perfect for the home gym.
Movements
There are so many movements that you can do with this device. The major ones people miss from commercial gyms are leg extensions and leg curls. Leg days in a home gym typically revolve around the squat, but as far as accessories, you often need to get creative, especially if you are used to using machines that you no longer have access to.
By adding Monkey Feet to your gym, you can now easily do machine-equivalent movements and many others.
Cost
Since the majority of us are on a budget, the cost of equipment is what stops most people from purchasing items for their gym. This is another benefit to Monkey Feet. The current price is $80. This is something that most of us can afford right away without having to budget, and we can also see the perks right away.
Size
Budget is the number 1 concern of home gym owners when it comes to adding equipment, and the easy number 2 is space. Monkey Feet take up the same amount of space as a single shoe. The amount of movements that this allows for while taking up no space in your gym is the perfect combination for a home gym. It’s a great solution for both of these issues.
Drawbacks
With all of the benefits, there are some drawbacks as well. Some of them are more obvious than others. Like the fact that you need dumbbells to use Monkey Feet. You also train one foot at a time, and getting yourself strapped in and switching feet is extra set-up time; which is never a good thing.
Dumbbells Required
Monkey Feet work by attaching dumbbells to your feet to perform exercises, and it goes without saying that you need dumbbells. Not only do you need dumbbells, but there are also some limiting factors that means not every dumbbell will work.
Most adjustable dumbbells should work, though specific designs may be a little clunky. The clamp allows you to use any dumbbell that has a handle length of at least 5″. The handles also need to have a diameter of anything less than 1.5″. Shorter handles that you might find in those colorful garage sale finds won’t work. If you have fat grip dumbbells, they also might not work.
One Leg at a Time
Monkey Feet are sold in singles. From my experience, you would not want to use two at a time and you won’t find them in any of their examples. Only a single device is needed and recommended.
By using a single foot at a time, you are limited to training a single side at a time. Since the set-up is not seamless, going back and forth between legs can get pretty annoying. 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.
Set-up Time
The setup is not difficult, but it also is not something you just step into and start. You do need to position the dumbbell, strap the binding, then get your body in position to lift.
By having some static between the set-up and the lift, you can often start to choose other exercises to take the place of using the Monkey Feet because of convenience (ex: just grabbing dumbbells for RDLs instead of setting up single-leg hamstring curls).
Is It Worth It?
If (like many) you are lacking selection when it comes to training your lower body in your home gym, Monkey Feet are an inexpensive option to bring into your gym that won’t take up a lot of space. For most people with the space and the budget, a leg curl/leg extension machine would be preferred, but that’s not for everyone.
It is also noteworthy that Monkey Feet have been adopted into ATG (Athletic Truth Group) as a piece of equipment that can be used to promote strength, health, and recovery and to train safely.
Conclusion
Monkey Feet are a great tool to incorporate into your home gym. They don’t take up any extra space, and if you have dumbbells, they allow for a large number of exercises. Despite there being some limiting factors, this tool is a great addition for most home gym owners.
It checks the box for budget, space, versatility, and it’s easy to use. I even added Monkey Feet as the 9th item I’d add to my home gym as I’m building it out in a budget friendly way.
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