Il bear crawl is a great exercise to improve your physical condition; this "bear walk” wants to simulate quadrupedal stance locomotion and stimulate different muscles with a different exercise from the usual, which also aims to make achieve better coordination and achieve good conditioning.
In this article we will discover how to best perform this exercise, the muscles involved and all its benefits!
Index
What is bear crawling?
Walking upright is an energy-saving activity; that's why you can walk for miles and miles without getting tired; the center of gravity is balanced on the base plate, which means that for standing requires minimal muscle effort.
However, this changes dramatically if you get down on all fours; the weight is no longer just on the feet and you have to work a lot more to move on the ground. One of the best exercises that takes advantage of the four-legged position is the bear crawl or bear walk.
How do you bear crawl?
To perform this exercise correctly, you need to follow these steps:
- kneel on all fours so that your hands are under your shoulders and your knees under your hips
- lift your toes and press your fingertips into the floor
- contract the abdomen, pull the shoulders down and back and rotate the elbows in to activate i dorsal (back and neck must be neutral)
- lift your knees a few inches off the ground, keeping your hips at shoulder height
- without lifting the hips, move the left hand and right foot forward and then the right hand and left foot
- continue moving forward the intended distance or number of steps
- it is also possible to move backwards, diagonally and sideways.
Muscles involved
The bear walk trains many muscle groups, including:
- core: the muscles of the core they are contracted to maintain position and stabilize the spine
- deltoids: supporting the weight on the hands and feet means working the shoulders, especially the deltoids front
- pectoralis major: by working the deltoids, i pectorals they will be active during the movement to stabilize the upper arms
- triceps: must remain active to prevent the arms from collapsing under the weight
- quadriceps: They have to work to support your weight as you move forward and backward
- hip flexors: they work to stabilize the pelvis during movement and also serve to move the legs forward.
Bear crawl benefits
Here are the benefits of this exercise:
- complete workout: When performed correctly, this exercise works all the major muscles of the body
- can be run anywhere and at any time
- a moving plank: il plank it's a great basic exercise, but it's 100% static, which reduces its functionality; the bear crawl involves stabilizing the core while moving the arms and legs. It's a functional way of training and that's how muscles tend to function in nature.
And you, have you ever tried the bear crawl in your training sessions? Let us know in the comments and remember to follow us on our telegram channel
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