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Why Crawling Exercises Must Be in Your Workout Routine

    crawling exercises

    When we think about crawling the first thing that comes it our mind is kids playing. They crawl here and there, jump and hung and who knows what other moves they do. And we do not have to be physical therapists to see that with these “childish” moves they work all their muscles almost in no time.

    But, are crawling exercises beneficial for adults as well? The answer is simply yes.

    They are full body movements that engage several muscles at once without the need of any equipment. The best is that these exercises improve the muscles in a natural way that cannot be said about weight lifting, for example.

    Also, by practicing these moves, we can develop our functional strength that is used in everyday life. So, we can call them fundamental movements.

    Benefits of Crawling Exercises

    1. Crawling for strength – Get Muscle Strength for Everyday Life

    One reason why crawling moves are so beneficial is that they require a full range of motion. They strengthen those muscles that are responsible for the stability and balance of the body.

    They help to prevent spine and lower back problems by improving the core stability. Also, they reduce the risk of injuries to the shoulders.

    All the muscles from top to bottom should work together and synchronize to perform the motion. That is beneficial for not only your physique but also for the nervous system.

    Also, if you do traditional exercises, they include movements you hardly or never use in everyday life. Just think about, plank or bench press.

    2. Full Body Training

    full body training

    Benefits of crawling for adults

    Compound exercises that train more than one muscle group at once are proven to be the most beneficial for developing strength, endurance, and burning fat.

    If we see the simplest activity, the baby crawl, we have to use our chest, shoulder, arm, back, leg and core muscles all that once to go forward.

    No matter which crawling variation you choose, you will work all the muscles of your body.

    3. Do Them Wherever You Want

    Since crawling is a bodyweight exercise, there is no need to go the gym or buy any fitness equipment. You just need a little space indoor or outdoor to move around.

    4. A Fun Way to Train

    While everywhere it is recommended to lift weights, do cardio on machines or just run, not everyone like these activities. A lot of people find them dull.

    Crawling exercises are fun to do and help us to go back to our child personality when we move just for fun.

    5. Perfect for All Fitness Level

    To tell the truth, I became interested in crawling exercises after checking out some strength training routines of MMA fighters. I was surprised to see they do many types of crawls for developing stamina, strength, mobility, and coordination.

    If you are a pro, you may think these moves are too easy for you. I thought as well, but after a quarter mile of bear crawling, I was so tired as if I had run 5 miles. So, make these moves for longer distances or add further resistance by using a weight vest.

    Types of crawling exercises

    I think, after reading the benefits you understand why they should be in your workout routine. But what kind of variations are there? We know a few animal crawling exercises such as the bear crawl exercise, but from the following video, you can learn 21.

     

    Cool moves, aren’t they? It ‘s nice to see how the muscles work while the movements are performed. While they seem to be easy, do not underestimate the power you will need to achieve them. And do not forget, that you can make these moves backward as well making them even tougher.

    Personally, I do the inchworm, gorilla, crab, alligator, and bear crawls with and without weight vest.

    How to Add These to Your Workout Routine

    Firstly, if you have not done any of them before, I recommend you to try each of them for 30-60 minutes. This way you will feel how hard to perform them correctly. Then, you can pick the ones that suit to your fitness level.

    There are tons of options to create a workout from these exercises.

    You can make a routine that includes only crawls. For example, you pick 5-6 moves, and you do each of them for 1 minute with 30-60 seconds rest, and you do 3-5 circles. That means a 30-40 minutes full body training.

    Another example is when you add crawlings to your high interval training (HIIT) to boost your weight loss.

    No matter what type of routine you create, you can go wrong with these activities. The crawling exercise benefits are numerous.

    Conclusion

    I hope you liked this guide to these unforgotten exercises in which we were so good at when we were kids. Crawling exercises are a good example that we do not need weights to build a strong body that functions as it should be. So, try these moves and tell us how they work for you.

     
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    James Wright

    James (36) has been working out since he was 15 years old. He has a home gym where he pumps iron, does bodyweight workouts and boxing. He likes sharing his experiences with others who want to build a better physique.

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