When it comes to full-body workouts, the Bear Crawl and Crab Walk are two popular exercises that challenge your strength, mobility, and coordination. Both movements engage multiple muscle groups and offer unique benefits, but how do they stack up against each other? In this blog, we'll take a closer look at the mechanics, advantages, and variations of both the Bear Crawl and Crab Walk. Discover which exercise best suits your fitness goals and learn how to incorporate these dynamic movements into your workout routine for optimal results.
Bear Crawl: What Is It?
The Bear Crawl is a functional, full-body exercise that mimics the movement of a bear walking on all fours. It is performed by getting down on your hands and feet, with your knees bent and hovering just above the ground. The exercise involves moving forward or backward by simultaneously stepping with your opposite hand and foot while maintaining a stable core and keeping your back flat. The Bear Crawl is an excellent way to strengthen your arms, shoulders, core, and legs, as well as improving overall stability, mobility, and coordination.
The Best Way to Bear Crawl
The only requirement for this workout is a large open area where you can move freely. The best location is outside. Additionally, effective indoor areas are a tennis court or gym.
- Start the bear crawl by performing a push-up. Your core is tight, your back is straight, and your hands are tucked behind your shoulders. The heels should be off the ground, and the feet should be a hip distance apart.
- Move ahead by crawling with the left leg and right hand simultaneously. You never let your knees hit the earth.
- After putting weight on the right hand and left leg and moving the left hand and right leg forward, switch sides quickly.
- Continue to advance while crawling for the specified number of steps or distance.
Advantages of Bear Crawling
- The bear crawl requires the utilization of practically all of your body's muscles. This exercise targets the core, glutes, quads, hamstrings, shoulders (deltoids), chest, and back. Regularly performing bear crawls will help you develop overall body strength and endurance.
- The bear crawl is frequently included in in-depth agility training. Studies have demonstrated that agility exercises can assist athletes in adjusting to the varying physical and physiological demands of various training periods, such as pre-and post-season workouts.
- However, you don't need to be an athlete to reap the rewards of this training. Agility exercise can increase calorie burn and help non-athletes become more conscious of their bodies.
- It might also improve your working memory, listening comprehension, and visual vigilance.
Crab Walk: What Is It?
The Crab Walk is a full-body exercise that involves moving in a crab-like position, using your hands and feet to propel yourself backward or forward. To perform the Crab Walk, you sit on the ground, place your hands behind you with fingers facing forward, and lift your hips off the ground, creating a tabletop position. The exercise involves walking by moving your opposite hand and foot simultaneously, while keeping your core engaged and hips elevated. The Crab Walk is an effective way to strengthen your arms, shoulders, core, and legs, while also improving balance, coordination, and body awareness.
The Best Way to Crab Walk
- Sit on the floor with your feet hip-width apart in front of you. This will protect your back. Next, place your arms behind your back, fingers pointing toward your hips. Finally, tighten your abs and lift your hips off the ground.
- Move your left hand, then your right foot, then your right hand, and finally, your left foot to begin "walking" ahead. If there is enough room, take four or more steps and then turn around. For as long as you like, go back and forth.
Advantages of Crab Walk
- Crab walking can help you balance better since you have to shift your weight back and forth between your hands and feet.
- As you age, balance becomes more crucial for daily tasks, falling prevention, and almost all other types of exercise that increase athletic performance.
- The crab walk makes you work your arms, especially your triceps because it demands you to simultaneously walk on your feet and hands.
- Repeatedly performing the crab walk will strengthen your upper body over time while also working your arms.
- You'll use your abdominal muscles and aid in creating a strong, lean stomach by maintaining a tight core while performing the crab walk.
- You can do crunches all day long, but it's preferable to do a range of core workouts that target your abs in various ways if you want a thin stomach and strong core.
Both Bear Crawl and Crab Walk have their unique sets of benefits. All you need to do is identify your fitness goal and position preference and start with it.
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