Crawl Exercise for your Core

Core Crawl Exercise

Overview

The Crawl Exercise is more challenging than it first appears. It’s excellent for developing better mobility and core stability. Much like the way a baby crawls, you’ll move the opposite hand and foot forward, which helps develop coordination and control. The Crawl Exercise is also a great warmup or cool down exercise.

Also Known As

• Baby Crawl
• Tabletop Crawl (on toes)

Level

Beginner to advanced, depending on modifications

Targets

The basic Crawl Exercise targets the abdominal muscles. Advanced versions target the hamstrings, glutes and arm/shoulder muscles.

Step by Step Instructions

Beginner

1. Start on a yoga mat with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
2. Create a neutral spine so there’s no pressure on your neck or back.
3. Move your left hand and right knee forward at the same time.
4. Move back to the start and repeat with the right hand and left knee.
5. Do 3 sets of 10-15 repetitions.

Intermediate

Crawling on your toes makes it more difficult to maintain balance and a neutral spine

1. Go up on your toes so your knees hover over the mat.
2. Keep your core steady and stable as you move your left hand and right knee forward.
3. Move back to the start and repeat with the right hand and left knee.

Advanced

To work your core and arms/shoulders even more, add a bent-leg push-up

1. Move your left hand and right knee forward at the same time.
2. With hands under your shoulders and a neutral spine, do a push-up with your bent leg facing outwards.
3. Move back to the start and repeat with the right hand and left knee. Do another push-up.
4. Repeat

Tips / Common Mistakes

• Engage your core the whole time to stay steady
• Maintain a neutral spine to avoid tension in your neck and back
• Take small steps to maintain control
• Avoid swaying or wiggling your hips

And that’s how you do the crawl exercise.

[Video Transcript]

This exercise is the crawl exercise. It’s an abdominal exercise that not only works your ab muscles but also improves coordination. There are three progressions, and we’ll start with the first, you might think it’s easy at the beginning, but wait until the end. Start with your hands directly under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Maintain a neutral spine so your head isn’t tipped up or dropped down too much. As you move your left hand forward, move your right knee forward (it’s a crawl), then move back. Use opposite arm and opposite leg, engage your core the whole time, and try to keep your torso stable so you’re not wobbling. If that feels easy, go up onto your toes so your knees hover just above the mat and do the same crawl forward and back, keeping your torso as “quiet” as possible (minimal tilting or shifting). If that’s still easy, the third progression is to add a push-up: crawl, do a push-up, come back up and back; switch sides and repeat. Maintain a neutral spine throughout. Crawling is excellent for the abdominal muscles and for coordination.

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