Bear crawl exercise: The secret super exercise
In the pursuit of modern fitness, we often look to complex machinery and high-tech wearable devices. However, the most effective way to "bulletproof" your body and sharpen your mind might actually be found in the nursery. If you’ve ever wondered, "is crawling good exercise?" the answer is a resounding yes. Specifically when we talk about the bear crawl exercise.
The bear crawl is a primal, "quadrupedal" movement that requires your entire body to work as a single, synchronised unit. It isn't just a punishing finisher for a HIIT class; it is a sophisticated tool for developing functional stability and enhancing the communication between the left and right hemispheres of your brain.
The physical bear crawl benefits: Total body integration
The bear crawl is a high-MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) movement, meaning it burns a significant number of calories in a very short time. But beyond the metabolic torch, the bear crawl benefits your structural health in three key areas:
1. Dynamic shoulder stability
Unlike a static plank, the bear crawl requires your shoulders to stabilise your weight while in motion. This builds incredible "rotator cuff" resilience and prepares your upper body for the unpredictable demands of daily life.
2. Deep core fortification
To perform a bear crawl correctly, you must maintain a "flat back" while your limbs move beneath you. This forces your transverse abdominis and obliques to fire constantly to prevent your hips from swaying, creating a level of functional core strength that crunches simply cannot match.
3. Wrist and foot mobility
In our sedentary world, we often lose the ability to bear weight through our hands and toes. Crawling restores the "proprioception" (spatial awareness) of our extremities, strengthening the small muscles in the feet and wrists that protect us from injury.
Bear crawls in rehabilitation
Beyond general fitness, the bear crawl is frequently recommended as a high-value rehabilitation exercise. Because it is a closed-chain movement (meaning your hands and feet are in constant contact with a surface), it provides significant sensory feedback to the central nervous system.
Physical rehabilitation
For those recovering from shoulder or hip injuries, the bear crawl serves as an excellent way to reintroduce weight-bearing in a controlled, low-impact environment. It specifically targets the serratus anterior, a muscle often neglected in traditional gym movements. It is critical for healthy scapular (shoulder blade) movement and posture.
Cognitive rehabilitation
Neurologically, the cross-lateral pattern of the bear crawl acts as a reset for the brain. It is often used in vestibular rehabilitation to help patients regain balance and spatial orientation. By forcing the brain to coordinate opposite sides of the body, it stimulates the vestibular system and improves the neural efficiency required for complex daily tasks.
Levelling up: Adding resistance & load
Once you have mastered the bodyweight version, you can amplify the bear crawl benefits by introducing external resistance. This transition shifts the exercise from a stability-focused movement to a serious strength and hypertrophy builder.
Weighted Vests: Adding a 10kg or 20kg weighted vest is the most natural progression. This increases the total load on the core and shoulders without altering your mechanics.
Resistance Bands: By looping a heavy resistance band around your waist and anchoring it behind you, you create "horizontal resistance." This forces your hip flexors and quads to drive harder to overcome the backward pull.
Ankle and Wrist Weights: For those looking to sharpen coordination, adding light weights to the extremities increases the "lever length" of the movement, making it harder for the core to maintain a neutral spine.
Expert Pro-Tip (Information Gain): If your goal is cognitive longevity, try backward bear crawling. Moving in reverse is significantly more demanding for the brain's spatial processing centres and forces the shoulders to act as "brakes," building a unique type of eccentric strength that forward crawling lacks.
Move your body: The cognitive connection
At Helph, we believe that movement is the most potent "nootropic" (brain-booster) available. As highlighted in our guide on how to improve brain health, physical activity is the primary driver of neuroplasticity.
The bear crawl exercise is particularly unique for cognitive health because it is a contralateral movement. This means you move your right hand and left foot simultaneously, followed by the left hand and right foot. This "cross-body" pattern requires the two hemispheres of your brain to communicate rapidly via the corpus callosum.
Regularly practicing crawling patterns has been shown to improve coordination, focus, and even problem-solving skills by strengthening the neural pathways between the body and the mind.
Summary: The foundation of total body connection
The bear crawl exercise is the ultimate "high-ROI" movement. It bridges the gap between the gym and real-world capability. Ensuring your body is as strong as it is smart. By integrating this primal pattern into your routine, whether for rehabilitation or advanced strength, you aren't just building a better physique; you are nurturing a more resilient, connected brain.
Bear crawl exercise FAQs
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Yes, crawling is an exceptional workout for fat loss. Because it engages almost every major muscle group simultaneously, it keeps your heart rate high and creates a massive "oxygen debt," leading to an elevated calorie burn both during and after the session (the EPOC effect).
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The bear crawl is highly scalable. Beginners can start with a "static" hold (the beast hold) for 20-30 seconds to build the prerequisite shoulder and core strength before attempting to move forward or backward.
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For most people, including bear crawls 2–3 times per week as part of a warm-up or a metabolic circuit is ideal. Because it is a demanding movement for the wrists and shoulders, it is important to allow for adequate recovery between sessions.
