Bear Crawl Drag

Crawl forward on hands and toes while dragging a light sled or bag behind you. Combines anti-rotation trunk work with hard shoulder and hip endurance.

DIFFICULTY
Intermediate
EQUIPMENT
Sled · Bodyweight
PRIMARY MUSCLES
Abs · Deltoids · Quads
ALSO WORKS
Obliques · Serratus Anterior · Glutes · Hip Flexors
HOW TO DO IT
  1. 01Attach a light sled or bag to a waist strap and set up on hands and toes, knees hovering just off the floor.
  2. 02Set the back flat with the shoulders stacked over the hands and the hips no higher than the shoulders.
  3. 03Move the opposite hand and foot together in short steps, keeping the hips level.
  4. 04Crawl ten to twenty metres without letting the hips sway side to side.
  5. 05Rest until the shoulders recover and repeat for four to six trips.
COACHING CUES
  1. 01Knees an inch off the floor, no higher.
  2. 02Hips stay level, imagine a glass of water on your back.
  3. 03Short steps, opposite hand and foot.
COMMON MISTAKES
  1. 01Letting the hips rock side to side, which turns off the trunk and makes it a shoulder-only drill.
  2. 02Lifting the hips high, which shifts the load onto the shoulders and removes the core demand.
  3. 03Loading the drag too heavy, which forces the hips up and breaks the position within a few metres.

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.

Want a program built around you?

BOOK YOUR ASSESSMENT →