Exercise guide · evidence-graded

Bear Crawl

The bear crawl is a crawl on your hands and feet with your knees hovering just off the floor, moving opposite hand and foot together. It trains the trunk muscles to hold a flat, still back while the shoulders and hips move, and it doubles as conditioning.

Also called: Bear Walk, Bear Crawl Hold, Beast Crawl, Quadruped Crawl · Equipment: bodyweight · Pattern: compound

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How to do it

Step by step

  1. Start on all fours with your hands directly under your shoulders, your knees under your hips and your toes tucked under.
  2. Brace your trunk and lift your knees 2–5 cm off the floor. Keep your back flat and your hips level with your shoulders.
  3. Step one hand and the opposite foot forward a short distance at the same time.
  4. Repeat with the other hand and foot, keeping your steps small and your knees hovering.
  5. Keep your hips still and level as you move, with no side-to-side sway.
  6. Breathe steadily throughout and crawl for the set distance or time.
  7. At the end, set your knees down on the floor and rest.
Coaching cues
  • Flat back like a tabletop
  • Knees hover just off the floor
  • Opposite hand and foot together
  • Hips quiet, no sway
  • Small, slow steps
  • Breathe steadily

In VALDA, these cues are one tap away on the exercise while you train.

Muscles worked

What it trains

MuscleRoleEvidence
Hip flexorsSecondaryC
Quadriceps: rectus femorisSecondaryC
Gluteus maximusSecondaryC
Rectus abdominisStabiliserC
Transverse abdominisStabiliserC
Erector spinaeStabiliserC
Serratus anteriorStabiliserC
Anterior deltoidStabiliserC
Triceps brachiiStabiliserC
Forearm extensorsStabiliserD
Obliques (internal/external)Dynamic stabiliserC

Evidence grades: A = strong research base · B = good · C = limited · D = coaching consensus.

Common faults

What goes wrong, and the fix

Hips sagging

Fix: Brace with your ribs down and keep your back flat from shoulders to hips.

Hips piked high

Fix: Bring your hips level with your shoulders, knees just off the floor.

Hips swaying side to side

Fix: Take smaller, slower steps and keep your hips still.

Moving the same-side hand and foot

Fix: Move opposite hand and foot together, slowing down to reset the pattern.

Weight sitting in the heels of the hands

Fix: Spread your fingers and press through the whole hand, including the fingertips.

Programming

What the research says

General fitness · first choiceEndurance · first choiceFat loss & conditioning · first choiceRehab & prehabSport performance

  • Trunk activity — In an EMG study of the bear position, moving versions, on the spot and travelling, produced more abdominal activity than a still hold.
  • Intensity — A beginner quadrupedal movement class, built on crawling patterns, reached moderate-intensity exercise on average, with the most dynamic segments reaching vigorous levels.
  • Movement training — After 8 weeks of quadrupedal movement training, participants improved hip and shoulder range of motion, but not push-up endurance or grip strength.
  • Strength and size — There is no research showing bear crawls build maximal strength or muscle size. They are used for trunk control, conditioning and warm-ups, and are commonly progressed with a weight vest or a sled.
Alternatives · VALDA FLEX

Swap it mid-workout

With VALDA Pro, FLEX offers alternatives like these when you swap an exercise mid-workout.

Log the bear crawl in VALDA, with these cues one tap away while you train and your history for it in one place.

General information about exercise technique, not medical advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, your healthcare provider is the right person to ask.