It’s time to get back on all fours and crawl your way to a full body workout and burn fat. While you may associate crawling with babies or little children, what you might not know is that adults can also reap the benefits crawling has to for physical health and mental well-being.
Crawling targets all the muscles in the body and boosts strength without the use of dumbbells or other weights. The most important benefit is that crawling promotes functional strength, which is the strength our body requires to carry out day-to-day activities.
Benefits of crawling:
- Full body workout
- Tones entire body
- Maximizes performance for daily life
- Can be done anywhere
- Improves overall fitness
- A fun way to exercise
- Perfect for any age and any fitness level
Crawling Exercises to Engage In
Don’t worry about looking silly. After all, once you come out with a toned physique, everyone’s going to want to know your secret to staying fit.
1. Inchworms
A good warm-up exercise to practice, inchworms will give your lower body a good stretch.
Directions:
- Start in a plank position with your shoulders stacked above your wrists and your hips in line with your shoulders.
- Lower your hips to the ground to arch your back and lift your chest keeping your arms straight.
- Push back up to the plank position and raise your torso towards the ceiling. Start to walk your feet towards your wrists.
- Walk your hands out in front of you keeping your legs straight and repeat the exercise.
- Perform inchworms for at least 30 to 40 seconds.
2. Crab Crawls
Take caution when performing this exercise as it’s tough on the shoulders and rotator cuffs.
Directions:
- Start by sitting on the floor with your knees bent and your feet planted firmly on the ground.
- Place your hands behind you, palms facing down to touch the ground and gently lift your torso using your hands.
- Bring your right hand to your hips and step your right leg out in front of you. Follow these movements on the left side.
- Repeat these steps and start to move forward. This exercise can also be done on the reverse to move backward.
- Continue this exercise for at least 30 to 45 seconds.
3. Gorilla Crawls
The gorilla crawl is a great exercise to engage the core and strengthen your legs.
Directions:
- Stand tall with your feet a few inches wider than shoulder-width distance apart. Bending from the waist, extend your arms in front of you to touch the ground.
- Shift your weight to your hands and quickly jump your feet in front, to the outside of your hands, landing softly.
- Step your hands further in front of you and jump your feet in front to the outside of your hands, making sure to land softly.
- Try not to stand between reps.
- Continue this exercise for about 30 seconds.
4. Tabletop Crawls
Tabletop crawls are the ultimate movements to test your core strength and boost stability.
Directions:
- Get down on your hands and knees with your knees under your hips and your shoulders stacked above your hands.
- Raise your heels to come up on your toes and take a step forward with your right foot, simultaneously stepping your left hand forward as well. Your back should be flat and your knees close to the ground.
- Step forward with your left hand and right foot and continue this exercise simultaneously switching hands and legs.
- Perform tabletop crawls for about 30 seconds.
The content of this Website is for is for informational purposes only, is general in nature and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, and does not constitute professional advice. The information on this Website should not be considered as complete and does not cover all diseases, ailments, physical conditions, or their treatment. You should consult with your physician before beginning any exercise, weight loss, or health care program and/or any of the beauty treatments.
References:
J. (2018, April 25). Do Crawling Exercises to Boost Your Functional Strength & Burn Fat. Retrieved from https://fitbodybuzz.com/crawling-exercises-strength-weight-loss/
Crawling Exercises | Redefining Strength. (2015, February 11). Retrieved from https://redefiningstrength.com/crawling-exercises-21-fun-crawls-to-include-in-your-workouts/
T. (2016, December 01). 21 Fun Crawling Exercises – How and Why You Should Crawl. Retrieved from https://www.thehealthsciencejournal.com/21-fun-crawling-exercises-crawl/
