Spider Crawl

AnimalBW

Also called the Spiderman crawl — from a push-up position, the knee steps wide to the outside of the elbow on each stride, combining a groin/hip stretch with crawling locomotion. One of the more advanced Original Strength crawl variants.

Demo: General S&C Demo

Sets

3

Reps

20-30 ft or 30-45 sec

Rest

1 min

Contraindications

Avoid with hip impingement; regress to leopard crawl if hips can't handle the wide step.

Setup

Start in a push-up (plank) position, hands slightly wider than shoulder width.

Execution

  1. 1Step one foot forward to the outside of the same-side elbow, dropping the hips low
  2. 2Simultaneously reach the opposite hand forward
  3. 3Keep the torso as level and parallel to the ground as possible
  4. 4Push off to bring the trailing leg through and repeat on the other side
  5. 5Continue alternating sides while traveling forward

Key cues

  • Knee steps to the outside of the elbow, not underneath the body
  • Keep hips low and torso parallel to the floor
  • Reach the opposite hand out fully with each step
  • Move with control, not a scramble

Common faults

  • Hips popping up too high between steps
  • Knee resting on the elbow and taking weight there
  • Twisting the torso excessively to help lift the leg
  • Rushing before achieving control at a slow pace

Tweaks

  • Try backward spider crawl for a significant challenge
  • Add a push-up at each step for extra intensity
  • Slow the tempo dramatically to build strength through the deep hip position

Regressions

Leopard Crawl

Muscles

Primary: Hip Adductors, Core, Shoulders

Secondary: Quadriceps, Obliques

Notes

Original Strength calls the backward Spider-Man crawl 'the creme de la creme' of advanced crawling training.

Sources

Attribution: Original Strength / GMB Fitness