← EXERCISE LIBRARYCalisthenics
Bear Crawl
Quadrupedal crawl on hands and toes with the knees just off the floor, training contralateral coordination and trunk anti-rotation. Three clean lengths of ten metres before you add load or speed.
- 01Set the hands under the shoulders and the knees under the hips.
- 02Tuck the toes and lift the knees an inch off the floor.
- 03Move the opposite hand and foot forward together in small steps.
- 04Keep the hips low and level, no higher than the shoulders.
- 05Crawl a set distance, then reverse the pattern back to the start.
- 01Opposite hand, opposite foot, every step.
- 02Keep a glass of water balanced on your back.
- 03Small steps, the hips should barely rock.
- 01Hips swinging side to side, which means the trunk is not resisting rotation and the drill becomes cardio.
- 02Hips riding high toward a pike, which takes the load off the shoulders and trunk.
- 03Moving same-side limbs together, which loses the cross-body coordination that makes the crawl worth doing.
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.