Do the bear crawl like THIS and bulletproof your body

When you think of the bear crawl, you might think of someone in a difficult fitness class sweating profusely and looking like they are about to collapse from exhaustion.

The bear crawl has value as an endurance exercise but it’s so much more than that.

It builds flexibility, coordination, strength and movement capacity. It’s one of those whole-body movements that help your body move better globally.

Just like with any movement or exercise, it’s all about how you do it. If you do the bear crawl mindlessly just to break a sweat, you won’t get all of these awesome benefits.

But if you slow down, be mindful and put your attention on the right things, you will build a more resilient and capable body.

In this article, I will show you how to do this step-by-step.

What are bear crawls?

Bear crawl is an exercise that mimics crawling. There are many different bear crawl modifications out there.

The way in which you perform the bear crawl should be aligned with what goal you’re trying to accomplish.

If your only goal is to “get in shape” and build more aerobic endurance then one can argue it does not matter what your form is in the exercise. As long as you’re breaking a sweat, you’re theoretically getting a good workout.

The problem with this intention is that the bear crawl is a relatively technical exercise. It’s not the most technical like a back bridge but to do it properly, you have to be aware of what you’re doing.

This is why I recommend more brainless types of activities to build endurance like running or cycling. Sure, there are some things you have to be aware of during these activities but much less so than a more skilled movement like the bear crawl.

If you give the bear crawl the respect it deserves and take your time with it, you will build a more resilient body.

When I say “resilient,” I refer to a body that is capable of doing what you want it to as you age.

If you focus on foundational movements like crawling, squatting, hanging and others, you will see a ton of carryover to anything else you want to do with your body. These are the building blocks of a strong and healthy physical body.

Bear Crawl Exercise, the mindful way

The first cue to think about in the bear crawl is the contralateral movement pattern. All this means in simple terms is when your leg moves forward, the opposite arm moves forward as well.

This is how humans crawl, walk and run. The easiest way to practice this fundamental movement pattern is through crawling because you have four points of support.

This is the coordination piece of the movement. For some, this might take a bit of time to master. For others, it will click quite quickly.

Once this cue becomes ingrained, you can focus on other parts of the movement.

For more flexibility gains, you can straighten the legs out more or bring the heels down more. This will exaggerate the stretch in the calves and hamstrings.

If your focus is more on strength, exaggerate how much body weight you put in your hands. Keep your legs comfortable and along for the ride while your upper body begins to fatigue.

Programming a bear crawl workout 

The above recommendations are what kind of thoughts you can keep in your mind as you perform the movement.

Just by changing what you're thinking about in an exercise can dramatically change what you get out of it. But once you get pretty good at a movement, it might be better to think about nothing at all.

The great Charles Munger once said that “most good things have undesired side effects. And thinking is no exception.”

Recognizing when to think and when not to is something of an art in exercise just like it is in every other aspect of our lives.

When programming your workouts, I recommend you experiment with all the different cues I mentioned but also with no cues at all. Sometimes, it’s better to get your mind out of the way and let your body figure it out.

This is why I program most of my exercises in two ways - the first way is with a “build” intention and the second way is with a “play” intention.

With the first intention, you're strict about some part of the exercise you’re trying to improve. For the bear crawl, it could be better contralateral movement, more total time crawling or crawling a further distance.

The play intention could look something like this - one day you practice dropping the heels lower than usual while another day you practice getting your butt higher in the air.

Most importantly, it should be fun. See if you can bring some child-like wonder and experiment with different ways to perform the movement. 

When you break it down in these two categories, you continue to make progress while also not taking your practice too seriously.

I recommend you do at least 1 build day and 1 play day a week. See how it feels and make adjustments from there!