Forward Beast/Bear Crawl

One of the first movement that I was introduced to as I took up the Spartan SGX course was the beast crawl.

When we talk about core strength, most people would think of sit-ups and planks. I would never recommend sit-ups for anyone, as sit-ups are a poor replication for what the core undergoes during human movement. In all human movement, the core works to provide stability as the body undergoes locomotion. Even in movements like the deadlift or the kettlebell swing, it is the hips that are hinging, while the core remains stable. Which brings us to the plank. The plank allows one to train the core, the way it was meant to be, providing stability. But the plank does have its limitation, a lack of locomotion. While varieties of the plank exists, they usually involve movement of single leg or arm, without moving from the spot.

The beast crawl allows forward, backward and even sideway locomotion while achieving the goal of training a strong and stable core. But before we do the beast crawl, we first master the beast hold.

First, we get down on a baby crawl position. Next pivot your hip, bring your back to full extension and flexion and find your neutral hip position. Next extend and contract your shoulders to find your neutral shoulder position. Doing so will put your back in a neutral position. It's also a pretty good stretch. Now bring your knees up slightly, and you are doing the beast hold. Once you mastered the beast hold, you are ready to move onto the beast crawl.

Now, let's watch the beast crawl in action.

Equipment
Pretty much any surface will do. Just not too hot. Soft toy is optional.

The Movement

With your knee one to two inches off the ground, move forward with alternating arms and legs. Speed is secondary, instead, focus on maintaining stability and preventing your hips from side to side sway. Try to keep your knees as close to the ground as possible. 

Placing an item on your back would provide feedback on your stability. Crawl for 10 to 20 metres, or in my case, till the soft toy falls off. This movement is best suited as a warm-up before a run or a strength session.

The Benefit

This is a full body exercise and works every muscle in your body. The main benefit from this movement is the development of core strength and stability. While your body moves forward, your core works overtime to stabilise it. With a strong core, you will find other movement easier to execute.

As you move with alternating arms and legs movement, build your coordination. Babies learn to walk from crawling, and from walking progress to running. Some times it's not a bad idea to go back to basic and build up our coordination from the ground.

Every time your hand connects with the ground, you are working on your kinesthetic awareness and building sensory connection between the ground and the body. One of the reason I usually like to do this shoeless.

Regression and Progression

If you find your hips swaying from side to side during the beast crawl, simply raise your hip and knees and do a bear crawl instead. Check out a demonstration of the bear crawl below. Once again, focus on keeping your body stable. From the bear, work towards bringing the knee closer to the ground for a true beast crawl.

To make the exercise harder, you can increase the distance travelled, crawl over natural surfaces, add a weighted vest or use resistance bands.

However, I do not recommend progression by increasing speed. The emphasis of the beast/bear crawl should be and continue to be stability. Once you change your emphasis to moving faster, you tend to sacrifice stability. On the other hand, your speed will naturally increase as you become more skilled with the crawl.

Lin Yimian, CSCS, SGX