Bear crawls are the best way to do full body exercise, which helps you build strength and improve your balance. You can also add some variety to your bear crawl routine. In this post, we will talk about some workouts you can try out individually.

You can add variety to your exercise and daily routine through bear crawl variations. The best thing is that it helps to strengthen your core muscles. These types of exercise work on the same muscle groups as a traditional workout but in different ways. You can start this exercise to help you build strength and improve your balance.

If you’re not using the bear crawl as a staple core exercise – you’re missing out.

7 Awesome Bear Crawl Exercise Variations Workout

In this part of the post, we will talk about these seven workouts in detail.

1- Reverse bear crawl

It is a great variation that works for the same muscle group but in the reverse direction. First of all, sit in a kneeling position and put your arms flat on the floor with your knees bent. Then one by one, lift your knees off the ground and move backwards using your hands, one hand after the other. In this position, keeping your back flat and staying lower to the ground is necessary. It will help strengthen your core, shoulders, and arm muscles.

2- Shoulder tap

This bear crawl is a great workout on your core and upper body. You can start this posture in a traditional position and then move forward, lifting your right hand and tapping your left shoulder. Keep alternating the arms as you move forward.

3- Alternating bear walking exercise

It is also an excellent exercise, just like the above one, and it works on almost all muscles, including arms, shoulders, and core muscles. Put yourself in the traditional  posture, and now lift your left arm and leg, then your right arm and leg. You can alternate between the two positions to continue this exercise.

4- High knee

It is an extreme exercise to increase your back strength. You can begin with the traditional bear crawl position, take your knees towards your chest, and move the leg forward. You can start with the right knee and then with the left knee. Keeping your back flat and ensuring your core remains engaged is necessary.

5- Lateral bear walking exercise

It is also called side-by-side bear crawl, and it is different because instead of moving forward and backwards, you have to move side by side. As you lift your knees off the ground and move your right hand and left foot left and right, you will perform this exercise.

6- Weighted Crawls

You can go with weighted crawls to add intensity to your workout. In this exercise, you can use a medicine ball or kettlebell to increase the difficulty of the exercise. Adding weight will add a load on the shoulders and arms, further strengthening your core and glute muscles.

7- Banded Bear Walking Workout

With the help of this workout, you can add resistance to your exercise. To increase the difficulty of the exercise, you can also use a band around your waist or shoulders. You can activate your core, shoulder, and glutes through resistance bands.

You can add a plate to your back or hold dumbbells for some extra resistance with any variation.

All the same rules apply:
– Keep a strong, engaged core
– Knees 1-2 inches off the floor
– Don’t allow head or shoulders to drop

Benefits

In this part of the post, we will discuss the benefits of bear crawl in detail. Let’s talk about that:

• Improves your coordination and agility
• Improve the balance and stability
• Build up your core muscles
• Work on your entire body
• Isolate individual muscles
• Improve your cardiovascular fitness
• Increases your energy
• Suitable for people of all fitness levels, even those with joint issues
• Improve mobility in the ankles, shoulders, and hips
• Reduces the risk of injury
• Do not require any kind of equipment
• Get your body ready for more intense exercises
• Reduce your back pain
• Improve your posture
• Improve your mental focus
• Relieve stress and boost your mental health

Bear crawl workout

It is a full-body exercise. It is beneficial in strengthening your body and improves coordination. You do not require any gym to start this exercise as it is a simple one you can also try in your home. It is a quadruped position because your hands and feet are on the ground. This position is beneficial in strengthening your core but ensures you keep your back straight. Your knees should also be directly under your hips.

Technical Cues.

• It is a new addition to your fitness routine and workout. You can easily do it in your home, and it can be modified to fit any fitness level. Let’s discuss technical cues to help you do the perfect exercise.
• You can start bear crawl by putting your knees, hands, and feet on the ground. In this position, your back should be flat.
• After that, you must lift your hips and put the weight on your hands and feet.
• Then move your left hand and right foot in this position, followed by your right hand and left foot.
• It is necessary that your head should be up and your back should be straight in this position.

Hip flexor activation

While doing this workout, it is necessary to have hip flexor activation. It means that the hips will also work during this exercise. So how to do it, during the kneeling position, as you move forward, press your hips forward as you move backwards, and keep your knees up. This shows that your hip flexors are working to assist you in moving throughout the exercise.

Common Mistakes

You should avoid these common mistakes to remain safe and make them more effective.

• Too much side-to-side movement

You should avoid too much side-to-side movement and try to go for all the movement underneath your torso. Sometimes, you might take two big steps, and your legs sneak out to the side to crawl forward.

During too much side-to-side movement, you might also lack core strength.

• Hips too high

While doing bear crawls, it is natural that you lift your hips. However, after doing some crawling steps forward, you might become tired because all the weight is on your arms. To reduce this tiredness, you might lift your hips high in the air as it helps in reducing the stress on your core and upward body. But this is wrong because it reduces the amount of work your body has to do and the effectiveness of the exercise. So keep your back flat as you move your body forward is always recommended.

• Sagging Back

Another common mistake while doing this bear crawls is the sagging back. So if your back sags or droops, it will be ineffective, so it is always recommended to brace your core so the shoulders and hips are in a straight line. On the other side, your head should not droop or sag forward. You should maintain this position while doing this workout.

Bear Crawl Variations: Important Things to Consider

• These are a full-body workout that engages your legs, arms, and core.
• Another great version of the workout involves lifting your knees and engaging the glutes and hamstrings.
• Bear crawl also comes in the category of cardio exercises when you do it forward and backward.
• To increase the stability of the exercise, you can add a lateral movement engaging the oblique muscles.
• If you become an expert, you can even go for more challenges. You can do it by making it a plyometric exercise by adding hops between the steps.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts

Through different bear crawl variations, you can strengthen your back muscles as well as your abdominal muscles. You can move forward by increasing your workout. It can be possible simultaneously with the raised leg, raised arm, or both. It is an extra challenge to your movements because you must raise your hands and feet to clear the obstacle. You can also add other exercises to add variety to your workout. This way, you can work on different muscles and enhance your workout’s intensity.