Tired of planks, push-ups, crunches, and sit-ups? Then you should consider adding the bear crawl exercise to your list because it works the entire body. The bear crawl is an effective-yet-underrated movement that can seriously improve your core strength while delivering a lot of other benefits too.
Equipment is not required to do the bear crawl, which makes it a great choice for a home workout. And it can be easily modified by adding little challenges to spice it up.
Intermediate and advanced exercisers can benefit from including the bear crawl in their total body workouts. Keep scrolling for everything you need to know about bear crawling.
What is a Bear Crawl?
A Bear Crawl is similarly known to be a baby crawl but requires you to bear the weight on your hands and toes rather than your knees. It is also a bodyweight mobility exercise that uses strength in the shoulders, quads and abdominal muscles. A bear crawl is an excellent exercise in focused breathing and core control.
How to do a Bear Crawl
All you need for the bear crawl exercise to be effective is just a wide-open space to move about freely, not even an equipment is required. Indoor spaces like a gymnasium or tennis court also work well but an outdoor space is more ideal.
- Start the bear crawl in a push-up position. Your hands should be stacked directly beneath your shoulders, the back is strong, and your core is engaged. The feet should be hip-width apart with heels off the floor. This is the starting position.
- Move forward by simultaneously moving the right hand and the left leg in a crawling motion. Your knees should be at 90-degrees angle and hovering an inch off the ground.
- Switch sides immediately after placing weight on the right hand and left leg by moving the opposite hand and foot forward.
- Keep moving forward in a crawling motion for your desired number of steps or distance.
Keep your body very close to the ground during the bear crawl exercise.
Benefits of the Bear Crawl
You use almost every muscle in the body when performing the bear crawl. This exercise works the chest and back, core, hamstrings, shoulders, quadriceps, and gluteus. The benefits includes:
- Sculpting your arms and shoulders
- Builds up total-body strength and muscular endurance.
- Helps in agility workout
- Get your heart pumping
- Boost visual vigilance, working memory and listening skills
- Helps in burning calories
- Working your lower body and core
- No equipment is needed
Other Forms of the Bear Crawl
You can modify this exercise to either increase or decrease its level of challenge.
1. Backward Bear Crawl
Backward bear crawl is by simply traveling forward about ten yards, then reverse the sequence and travel backward ten yards, preferably without taking a break in between.
2. Barrel Bear Crawl
This form of bear crawl is to move with a lighter barrel or tube for a start. By grabbing the barrel beneath your torso and sliding it forward as you step forward. Keep going for the desired number of steps or distance.
3. Bear Crawl with Push-Ups
Add push-ups to your bear crawls to make them more effective. Crawl four steps forward, then hold the body in place and perform one push-up. Continue this pattern for about ten yards, then reverse and travel back.
4. Modified Bear Crawl for Beginners
The modified bear crawl is a similar movement to the normal bear crawl but without the forward movement. This variation is slightly easier. Also, It is not very difficult to hold up your body weight since the body is not in an extended push-up position.
5. Sideways Bear Crawl
Movement is both to the left and right side of the body as would for the forward crawl in an even manner, instead of moving to the front.
6. Uneven Bear Crawl
Uneven bear crawl is performing the bear crawl outside, on an uneven surface to spice up the challenge. Wearing weight-lifting gloves will prevent you from scuffing your hands on rough terrain.
7. Weighted Bear Crawl
The bear crawl can be more challenging if the load is increased. One way to do this is to place a weight plate on your back and do bear crawls this way.
Be careful that the weight plate does not fall off when you move.
Common Mistakes in Bear Crawl Exercise
The bear crawl will be safe and effective if these mistakes are avoided.
- Hips Too High
- Sagging Back
- Too Much Side-to-Side Movement
Safety and Precautions
Most people who are comfortable getting onto the floor will be able to try other forms of the bear crawl. There are some people who should exercise caution during this exercise. For example, pregnant women, obese people and people with shoulder or wrist injury.
Start by taking five to eight steps forward. Take a break when the body needs it, then turn around and bear crawl back to the starting location. You can bear crawl further as you get stronger and have greater endurance. Stop this exercise the moment you start feeling pain.
