Traveling Beast

AnimalBW

Beast position taken into forward, backward, and lateral locomotion, moving contralateral limbs together while maintaining the loaded quadrupedal shape and level hips.

Demo: Animal Flow

Sets

3

Reps

20-30 ft travel

Rest

45s

Contraindications

Avoid with wrist pain; regress to Bear Crawl with hips higher.

Setup

Start in Beast hold, knees hovering off the floor.

Execution

  1. 1Move the opposite hand and foot forward together in a contralateral pattern
  2. 2Keep the hips level and knees hovering the entire time, never dropping to the floor
  3. 3Maintain a flat back and braced core throughout the travel
  4. 4Keep the head neutral, eyes scanning slightly ahead
  5. 5Travel a set distance or number of steps, then reverse direction

Key cues

  • Contralateral limbs move together, not same-side
  • Knees never touch down between steps
  • Keep the hips quiet — no bouncing side to side
  • Small, controlled steps before increasing stride length

Common faults

  • Knees dragging or touching the floor between steps
  • Hips swaying excessively side to side
  • Losing the flat back and rounding under fatigue
  • Moving too fast before mastering the stationary hold

Tweaks

  • Travel laterally or diagonally for variety
  • Add direction changes mid-travel
  • Combine with Traveling Crab for an alternating flow

Regressions

Beast Position (Hold)

Progressions

Beast to Crab Flow

Muscles

Primary: Shoulders, Core, Quadriceps

Secondary: Hip Flexors, Forearms

Notes

The Animal Flow variant of bear crawl — distinguished by the lower hip position relative to a standard bear crawl.

Sources

Attribution: Mike Fitch / Animal Flow