The Bear Crawl

You probably already know this but the bear is an incredibly powerful animal. They are the world’s largest land carnivore and some species can reach up to 10 feet tall and weight over 1500lbs. Simply by walking and carrying around this enormous body bears build up incredible strength and stamina. One park ranger I read about observed (from a safe distance) a young Grizzly Bear casually moving a boulder about with a single paw. After the bear left the ranger went up to the boulder. He estimated the boulder must have weighed close to 500lbs.

Bears are not only incredibly strong and powerful but they are also fast and agile. Bears can reach speeds of up to 35 miles per hour. That’s faster than a horse. They can chase down a jack rabbit and match it cut for dodging cut but at a faster clip. Amazing.

When you read the above can you understand why it might be beneficial to train like a bear? When you perform bear crawls, or some of the other animal inspired exercises I teach in “Animal Workouts“, I think you’ll be shocked at just how effective they are. Crawling along the ground like a bear works your entire body as a unit. You’ll feel it in your arms, chest, shoulders and back. Not only that you’ll be huffing and puffing like you will not believe. Seriously. If you haven’t done them before you’ll find that you’re huffing and puffing after 2 minutes of bear crawling in a way that would take a person an hour of running to achieve.

Back in the day (the early 1900’s) it was not as important to do exercises like bear crawls as you would get this kind of workout just by working on the farm. Today most people don’t perform physical labour of any kind which is why performing kinds of exercises can be so vital.

The bear crawl is perfect for all fitness levels and is one of the best animal exercises to start with. It’s the King of animal exercises in my opinion and will help you build power, strength and endurance. Whether you’re an athlete or a desk jockey they can benefit you.