Exercise · loaded carry
Bear crawl
Bear crawl is an intermediate loaded carry movement that trains shoulders, deep_core, quads, done with no equipment. It's a compound lift — it moves more than one joint at a time, which is why it earns a place in most training templates. Typical rep range is 10–20 reps, tempo walk.
The most common mistake is hips high in the air and knees dragging. If no equipment or the movement itself doesn't suit you, Farmer's carry or Plank (forearm) or Mountain climber cover the same pattern. It's usually held back for wrist, shoulder, knee, pregnancy issues — a coach or the substitution list is the safer route on a flare-up.
Form cues
| # | English | हिंदी |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hands and toes on the floor, knees an inch off the ground | हाथ और पंजे ज़मीन पर, घुटने ज़मीन से थोड़े ऊपर |
| 2 | Move opposite hand and foot together, hips low and level | उल्टा हाथ-पैर साथ बढ़ाओ, कूल्हे नीचे और बराबर |
| 3 | Small steps forward and back | छोटे कदम आगे-पीछे |
Equipment & who it fits
Needs no equipment, rated intermediate, held back for wrist, shoulder, knee, pregnancy issues. Search "bear crawl form" for a form video.
Substitutes
Programs that use this pattern
Questions people ask
- What muscles does Bear crawl work?
- Bear crawl primarily trains shoulders, deep_core, quads, using a loaded carry pattern with no equipment.
- What's the most common mistake with Bear crawl?
- Hips high in the air and knees dragging
- What can I do instead of Bear crawl?
- The closest substitutes in this database are farmers carry, plank, mountain climber, which train the same pattern with different equipment.