Bear Crawl (Lateral)

AnimalBW

Bear crawl performed sideways, crossing one hand and foot over the other in sequence. Trains frontal-plane hip mobility and shoulder stability not present in straight-line forward/backward crawling.

Demo: Original Strength

Sets

3

Reps

15-20 ft each direction

Rest

45s

Contraindications

Avoid with wrist pain or acute hip issues.

Setup

Start in the bear crawl position, oriented to face the direction of travel with the side of the body.

Execution

  1. 1Step the leading hand and foot out to the side
  2. 2Cross the trailing hand and foot toward the leading limbs, or step them together
  3. 3Keep the hips level and avoid twisting the torso toward the direction of travel
  4. 4Maintain knees hovering off the floor throughout
  5. 5Travel a set distance, then reverse direction

Key cues

  • Lead with the hand and foot on the same side
  • Keep the torso square, resist twisting toward the direction of travel
  • Knees stay off the ground the entire time
  • Move smoothly, avoid crossing limbs awkwardly

Common faults

  • Twisting the torso to face the direction of travel
  • Knees dragging on the floor between steps
  • Crossing limbs too close together and losing balance
  • Hips popping up or sagging during the lateral steps

Tweaks

  • Add direction changes for a reactive conditioning drill
  • Increase speed once the pattern is clean
  • Combine with forward/backward bear crawl in a box pattern

Regressions

Bear Crawl (Forward)

Progressions

Bear Crawl (Diagonal)

Muscles

Primary: Hip Abductors, Core, Shoulders

Secondary: Quadriceps, Forearms

Notes

Original Strength recommends varying crawl direction and angle regularly to keep the nervous system challenged.

Sources

Attribution: GMB Fitness / Original Strength