How many times have you felt that life was so much easier when you were a baby? You had no job other than crying, gaining ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ for every single move, eating, sleeping and doing that on repeat while someone else took care of cleaning and feeding you. Turns out, the little humans have the right idea about exercising and working out too. The newest fitness trend that looks super fun, and is apparently super effective too, is crawling like a baby.
Like planking, crawling on your fours works as you’re holding a position under repeated tension for a long period of time. Personal trainer Ally Gray says that it improves overall strength, endurance and core stability. According to her, it also helps in regulating blood pressure levels and is beneficial for your back.
The trend was popularised by training system Original Strength that believed that crawling like a baby will ‘press reset’ on your central nervous system and you can ‘revisit mobility patterns you learned as a baby’. Even though this claim is not backed by medical professionals, doctors and experts believe that crawling can help build core strength and is an efficient form of exercise.
But babies have it easy here too. Crawling as a workout for adults is not as easy as it looks. You have to be mindful of the position of your hands and your neck, to avoid getting hurt. You also have to follow a pattern and concentrate on your breathing while you’re at it. So it’s safe to say that intense crawling needs to be done under supervision. Who would’ve thought that you’ll read a sentence like this?
Crawling for beginners
Keep your spine parallel to the ground and your hands hip-width apart, aligned to your knees. Crawl forwards and backwards and keep repeating this pattern until someone spots you and calls the doctor or you become confident enough to try advanced techniques, like lifting your knees slightly off the ground while crawling.
People who have knee, wrist or neck problems should consult a trainer before starting.
Happy crawling.
