Traveling Crab

AnimalBW

Crab position taken into locomotion, traveling forward, backward, or laterally while keeping the hips lifted and driving through the hands and feet contralaterally.

Demo: Animal Flow

Sets

3

Reps

20-30 ft travel

Rest

45s

Contraindications

Avoid with wrist or shoulder impingement; reduce range if needed.

Setup

Start in Crab position, hips lifted off the ground.

Execution

  1. 1Move the opposite hand and foot together in a contralateral pattern
  2. 2Keep hips elevated and level throughout the travel
  3. 3Push through the grounded hand and foot to propel each step
  4. 4Keep the head neutral, not dropping back
  5. 5Travel a set distance, then reverse direction back to start

Key cues

  • Hips stay up the whole time, no sagging between steps
  • Push the floor away with both the trailing hand and foot
  • Head stays in line, don't let it drop back
  • Move with control, not speed, at first

Common faults

  • Hips dropping low between steps
  • Head hanging back putting stress on the neck
  • Losing the equal hand-hip-foot spacing
  • Feet shuffling instead of clean contralateral steps

Tweaks

  • Travel laterally for a different loading pattern
  • Add a Crab Reach at intervals during travel
  • Chain with Traveling Beast via Underswitch

Regressions

Crab Position (Hold)

Progressions

Beast to Crab Flow

Muscles

Primary: Glutes, Triceps, Shoulders

Secondary: Hamstrings, Core

Notes

Pairs naturally with Traveling Beast for a continuous locomotion circuit.

Sources

Attribution: Mike Fitch / Animal Flow