Beast Reach and Side Swipe

AnimalBW

A combination move that extends the Beast Reach by adding a lateral 'swipe' of the reaching arm out to the side after the underneath reach, doubling the thoracic rotation range trained in a single rep.

Demo: Animal Flow

Sets

3

Reps

5-6 per side

Rest

45s

Contraindications

Avoid with shoulder impingement or acute wrist pain.

Setup

Start in Beast hold, ready to initiate a Beast Reach.

Execution

  1. 1Perform a standard Beast Reach, threading one arm underneath the body
  2. 2From the bottom of the reach, sweep the same arm out and up to the side, opening the chest fully
  3. 3Rotate the head to follow the arm through both phases
  4. 4Keep the supporting arm locked and pushing the floor away throughout
  5. 5Return through the same pathway back to Beast

Key cues

  • Reach through first, then swipe out and up
  • Let the eyes lead each phase of the rotation
  • Keep the hips quiet — the rotation comes from the thoracic spine
  • Control the return just as carefully as the reach

Common faults

  • Skipping the underneath reach and going straight to the swipe
  • Collapsing the supporting shoulder during the side swipe
  • Letting the hips rotate instead of isolating the trunk
  • Rushing through both phases without control

Tweaks

  • Pause briefly at the bottom of the reach before swiping
  • Slow the swipe phase for a bigger mobility stimulus
  • Alternate sides continuously for a flowing warm-up set

Regressions

Beast Reach

Progressions

Underswitch (Beast to Crab)

Muscles

Primary: Obliques, Thoracic Spine Rotators, Shoulders

Secondary: Core, Latissimus Dorsi

Notes

Combination move — builds directly on Beast Reach competency.

Sources

Attribution: Mike Fitch / Animal Flow