Crab Position (Hold)

AnimalBW

The inverse of Beast — a reverse tabletop hold with hands and feet on the ground, hips lifted and driven away from the floor. Builds posterior shoulder and glute strength while opening the front of the hips and chest.

Demo: Animal Flow

Sets

3

Reps

20-30 sec hold

Rest

45s

Contraindications

Wrist sensitivity — reduce hold time or use fists. Avoid with acute shoulder impingement.

Setup

Sit down, place hands behind hips (fingers pointing toward feet or slightly out), feet flat, knees bent.

Execution

  1. 1Push hands and feet into the floor to drive the hips up
  2. 2Keep the distance between hand, hip, and foot roughly equal on each side
  3. 3Twist slightly into the elbows to open the chest and flatten the shoulder blades
  4. 4Keep the head neutral, not dropping back
  5. 5Hold with hips level, not sagging

Key cues

  • Drive the floor away through the hands
  • Open the chest, don't hang in the shoulders
  • Hips stay elevated, not dropping to the floor
  • Keep the head in line, don't let it drop back

Common faults

  • Hanging in the shoulder joint instead of pushing the floor away
  • Head dropping back, putting stress on the neck
  • Hips sagging low
  • Feet too far from hips, reducing the loaded stretch

Tweaks

  • Hold for time to build shoulder endurance
  • Add small hip pulses
  • Progress to Crab Reach once stable

Progressions

Crab ReachTraveling CrabUnderswitch (Beast to Crab)

Muscles

Primary: Glutes, Triceps, Posterior Deltoids

Secondary: Hamstrings, Core, Hip Flexors (stretched)

Notes

The counterpart position to Beast; together they form the two anchor shapes of the entire Animal Flow system.

Sources

Attribution: Mike Fitch / Animal Flow