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The bear crawl exercise is an intense movement that works the entire body. It's basically a moving bird dog, only more demanding, as both your knees are off the floor. It's great for training reactive core strength, as the body has to constantly adjust during the movement to maintain a neutral spine.
The cross-patterning movement of the hip and opposite shoulder during crawling is neurologically beneficial. Moreover, the exercise is a throwback to your childhood. It's useful for building a strong core, improving posture, and eliminating neck and back pain. However, proper form is essential while performing the bear crawl exercise.
Bear Crawl Exercise - Proper Form
Although the exercise needs no extra equipment, it does require a wide open outdoor space .
Step 1:
Start the bear crawl on all fours, with your knees hovering an inch off the floor. Keep your back flat, arms shoulder-width apart, and legs hip-width apart. The hands should be beneath the shoulders, and the core should be braced.
Step 2:
Move forward by moving the right hand and the left leg simultaneously in a crawling motion. Make sure the knees never touch the ground. Maintain a neutral spine by keeping the chin tucked and activating the glutes.
Step 3:
Switch sides by moving the left hand and right leg forward.
Step 4:
Continue the bear crawl exercise by switching sides and continuing the crawling motion till you reach the desired distance or step count.
Bonus Tip:
Observe yourself in a mirror or record a video to pinpoint any breaks in form.
Common Mistakes
1) Improper breathing
You should be able to breathe normally during the bear crawl exercise while maintaining a neutral spine. If you're struggling to breathe or maintain spinal position, you need to spend more time in the static position and work up gradually.
2) Lifting Hips Too High
If your core strength is not up to par, your hips will slowly start rising to compensate. Imagine you're balancing a glass of water on the small of your back to avoid the issue.
3) Excessive Side-To-Side Movement
This is also due to a weak core. Try limiting all movement underneath your torso as you crawl.
4) Shrugging of the shoulders
This typically happens due to poor scapular stabilization and weak serratus anterior muscles.
Benefits
The bear crawl exercise works almost every muscle in the body, including the shoulders, chest, back, glutes, core, quadriceps, and hamstrings. Perform them regularly to develop total-body strength and stamina.
It's routinely used as part of spartan training and CrossFit workouts. It's also used by athletes in agility drills during pre and post-season workouts. The exercise helps in improving multi-dimensional core stabilization, scapular stability, T-spine extension, and end range hip flexor activation.
It burns nearly 100 calories in just ten minutes, and is, therefore, an excellent exercise to torch body fat. For non-athletes, the bear crawl exercise can help improve spatial awareness, movement skills, listening skills, vision, and memory.
Variations of Bear Crawl Exercise
Beginners can work up to this movement slowly using certain modifications. Initially, just get in the bear crawl position, and try lifting the knees off the floor for a few seconds. You can then start moving your hands and feet without crawling forward.
If you have already mastered the basic bear crawl exercise, try using the following variations:
- Backwards Bear Crawl
- Sideways Bear Crawl
- Weighted Bear Crawl
- Straight Leg Bear Crawl
- Low Bear Crawl
- Fast Bear Crawl
Takeaway
Bear crawls are a great finisher for endurance workouts. Remember to properly warm up before attempting the movement, though, and adhere to proper form of the workout.
