Is crawling the new plank?

Too often, adults tend to get too serious about their fitness routines. So much so that what should be fun becomes tedious. Maybe that’s why the latest fitness fad hitting the US is taking a cue from babies who stay fit while having a lot of fun. It’s all about getting on all fours and taking your first steps to being fully fit just like a baby does – it’s crawling, the functional movement to follow this season.

According to the promoters of the movement, Original Strength it’s a move to recapture that “urge to crawl, to squat down to pick things up, [and] look up in the sky to watch birds or see shapes in clouds the way we did as kids” to become stronger, happier, and pain-free. In the US, they are getting adults to crawl as part of ‘Pressing Reset’. It’s their idea to press the reset buttons on our body and undo the physical ailments we’ve managed to accumulate over the years. Crawling fans says that it helps them understand how their body works.

But is it a great workout?

It can be a part of one, says fitness instructor Namrata Purohit. “People like to try new fitness moves. It helps break the monotony and introduce new movement patterns to a workout,” she says. While she welcomes the idea of a new form of exercise, Purohit advises on exercising caution over making it the only form of exercise.

Crawling is an effective exercise. It works your legs, arms, not to mention your core. The best bit: there’s no right or wrong technique, and you can do many variations including animalistic movements (crab walk or a bear crawl). “You can switch the emphasis, too by involving more leg work or using more arm strength and increasing your cardio by increasing the speed,” Purohit mentions.

Word of advice: don’t go for a 30-minute routine. “Include crawling as part of your weekly routine – maybe three times a week, as it can put pressure on your knees,” she says. Her take: Use it as a five-minute warm-up before a cardio or strength workout.