Here is a 20 minute movement flow that I used as a warm up, before more aggressive resistance training.
Movement flow training has become a big part of my workout regimen. I enjoy moving from one exercise to the next without a plan. I find that it challenges my mind and body to communicate at a level that isolated resistance training simply doesn’t.
Movement Flow Breakdown
I begin the movement flow in the 90/90 position working forward leans on each side.
The 90/90 position is a staple base position for a lot of my mobility work. The angles are difficult, and the exercises can be easily scaled based on my progress.
Forward leans, heel clicks and other movements out of this position have proven to be brutally effective for hip flexibility.
Half way through my 90/90 sequence, I spend a few minutes working in the bear position. I’m squeezing essentially squeezing my legs inward against the resistance of my arms, followed reverse the motion outward.
Just after this, comes the most torturous exercise known to man: straddle hip circles. 🤮
Few other exercises make me cringe like straddle hip circles. Great drill, lots of pain.
After a quick change of the music, assisted sissy squats (using a dowel) make their appearance, followed by prone swimmers, an awesome drill for shoulder conditioning. I’ve filmed prone swimmers as part of a larger movement flow, but never in isolation. I’ll have to do that soon.
Sissy squats make a lot of people nervous, but holding onto the dowel makes this exercise much more palatable.
Using the dowel as a guide, lowering your knees down to the floor becomes more manageable due to the added stability and slight decrease in load.
Next in the flow came Cossack squats.
Cossack squats have been a staple movement for me for a number of years.
I’ve experienced consistent progress with this movement, and seen my mobility increase pretty significantly from practicing Cossack squats on a regular basis.
Animal Flow’s Crab Reach has played in both my warm ups and as a filler exercise during strength training for quite some time. It’s one of those exercises that delivers a ton of value and can help to unwind a body that sits for prolonged periods of time.
Hip extension + spinal rotation/extension + active stretch through the quads/hip flexors/anterior body = AWESOME.
Crab Reach is fantastic to incorporate into flow sequences.
This 2 exercise flow sequence is a prime example:
Of course, I’m crawling. Always crawling. Forward, backward, lateral, and with plenty of transition work in between each variation.
Around the 1:45min/sec mark, I inject a little bit of creativity with a few ground based patterns.
I don’t have names for these movements, but I really value the slow tempo, focus on range of motion, control and overall difficulty.
In the last few seconds of this 20 minute flow, I shift my focus to a few natural movement exercises.
Inline lunges are best performed using a 2×4 piece of wood, but you can mimic the inline challenge using your imagination.
Wide stance, stable base of support movements might be preferred, but as we all know, are not always realistic in real world scenarios.
Sometimes you’ve got to demonstrate strength and balance all in one shot.
This article was created to share 3 of the best crawling exercises for any fitness level:
1) Bear Walk
2) Forward/Backward Crawl
3) Lizard Crawl
As you scroll through each of these exercises, take notice of the change in body position during each exercise.
In particular, the shoulders/chest/hips in relation to the floor.
Body position changes a lot with these exercises.
Bear Walk
The Bear Walk is a sem-inverted position that will challenge hand and foot coordination, hip flexibility, and shoulder strength.
During the Bear Walk, your body is working to control twisting and bending forces from your arms and legs.
Practiced regularly, bear walks can improve rotator cuff, scapular and spinal strength, along with positively impacting hamstring and calf flexibility.
Notice, this variation of the Bear Walk involves keeping the hips high and the arm/knees straight.
Wait, why is this referred to as a “walk” and not a “crawl”.
No clue.
Exercise names can be confusing.
If I were to name it, I’d call it “Downward Walking Dog”.
From a difficulty standpoint, Bear Walks are the most forgiving exercise to learn on this list.
Forward/Backward Crawl
Forward and backward crawling is awesome for challenging the arms/shoulders, core and hips.
This crawling variation is excellent for improving reflexive strength.
My self-coaching cues for this exercise are simple… keep the spine parallel to the floor, avoid excessive movement through the torso while moving, quiet hand/foot contacts.
Another great cue is to “Imagine balancing a glass of water on your back. Don’t spill a drop”.
Better yet, place a shoe or a yoga block on your backside and balance that sucker for the duration of the crawl. That’ll keep you honest.
The lizard crawl is a low-to-ground locomotion pattern that seriously challenge scapular mobility and stabilization, core control and hip mobility.
Lizard Crawl is a SUPER challenging patterns for the muscles. It takes your breath away when you’re first adapting to the demands.
Notice the how low my shoulders, torso and hips stay in relation to the ground.
I’m hovering 1-2 inches above the floor as I move forward.
Staying low makes this exercise extremely demanding for the muscles since you’re in a disadvantaged position.
First timers to lizard crawling will feel this in the days after. You’ll be sore.
This pattern is more similar to true resistance training compared to the Bear Walk and Forward/Backward Crawl described above.
Over the years I’ve substituted the lizard crawl in place of push-ups and other pressing exercises in workouts.
12 to 15 feet is all you will need to get a great stimulus. Practice each work set with focus, soft hand and foot contacts, moving the limbs with control.
Be sure to rest plenty in between effort, as this crawling pattern is more like resistance training.
Movement20XX (Vahva Fitness) does an excellent job describing lead-in exercises to the Bear Walk and the Lizard Crawl, leading up to mastery. The progressive design of Movement20XX program was a real draw for me.
“How to organize crawling in workouts?”
You cannot screw this up. Seriously. There is no right or wrong way to practice crawling in a workout.
If you’re a beginner, I would suggest practicing each of these crawling patterns while you are fresh.
Either as part of the warm-up or just after the warm-up, but get your crawling in before any resistance training or higher intensity exercise.
Practicing new exercises is best done FRESH, not fatigued. You can test yourself while under fatigue down the road.
Once you’re at the intermediate or advanced stage, you can get a little bit more creative with where you place crawling exercises in the workout.
Personally, I like to use crawling as an element of movement sequences, long duration movement flow, or as part of a conditioning circuit.
Try this simple combination:
Because crawling is bodyweight-based, it pairs up extremely well with equipment such as kettlebells and barbell work.
Crawling for Time or Distance
Each of these crawls can be performed for a set distance or time.
I’ve tried both options, and they both work really well.
For distance, 15-20 feet of slow tempo, technique focused crawling is plenty for a beginner.
I’m talking about a single set of 15-20 feet, then taking rest. Usually, rest periods should last 1.5-2x the time spent crawling.
Personally, I like to set a timer and crawl until it sounds. This way I can stay focused on my movement, instead of speculating how far I’ve crawled.
For a beginner, 3-5 sets of 30-40 seconds of continuous crawling is enough time to elicit a great training effect.
Intermediate/advanced trainees will likely need to increase the time and play around with slowing down the tempo, toying with other variations, etc.
Crawl for 5 minutes straight. 🤷♂️
New to ground based movement exercises?
Start adding ground based movements to your workouts, immediately.
Don’t wait.
Most folks simply aren’t used to doing movements like these on a regular basis.
In fact, crawling and other ground-based movements are a rarity in most workout routines.
To improve your coordination, mechanics and skill with anyone of these crawling patterns, it’s often a matter of practice and consistency.
You found this article because you’re curious about the benefits of crawling.
Good for you!… because crawling (and ground-based movement in general) is one of the most underutilized methods in fitness. And abused.
Abused? Huh? Yes, abused.
Lots of fitness professionals are infatuated with high-intensity approaches to EVERYTHING.
Rushing bear crawls for time has its place, but it lacks the true benefits earned from slowing down a crawl pattern to build movement coordination and build skill.
Crawling is not just for babies. Adults can get pretty significant benefits from practicing crawling patterns on a regular basis.
How to progress crawling patterns beyond the basics is lesser-known, and can completely change your outlook on the activity.
I’ll talk a little more about moving beyond the basics of this article further down.
Notable benefits of crawling for adults:
Neural system development (brain-body connection to be able to do more stuff)
Improvement in coordination, learning, and behavior
Strengthen the shoulder complex
Increase proprioceptive feedback, hand strength, and dexterity
Core developer
Mobility training for the joints like hips and shoulders
Excellent transfer from the gym into real-world tasks and activities
A large majority of adults de-evolve with age.
This is a sad reality.
When we are young, we move frequently. Somewhere along the way, usually, after college ends and careers start, daily movement nose dives.
Non-exercise activity drops, which is concerning because of the undeniable data being published related to daily step count and the relationship to all-cause mortality.
Movement, and our ability to move well, is a use it or lose it situation. Wolff’s Law at it’s finest. Either keep moving or the ability to move gradually declines.
So, before you listen to that fitness pro barking out orders to plow through a 60-minute high-intensity crawling workout, please consider taking a more sensible approach.
Haven’t worked out consistently for a while? Guess what… biologically you’re different now.
Work back into slow, in manageable doses, with adequate rest and recovery separating work sets and workouts throughout the week.
Now, the positive news is that you can get back into fitness, movement, and more specific to this article, CRAWLING, right now.
Below are some AMAZING introductory drills that’ll reveal how challenging bodyweight, the floor, and a few positional shifts can be.
[FYI: Consistency with physical practice is HUGE, one of the deciding factors if you achieve goals. Not just with exercise, but with anything. You must continue to practice these exercises to earn the benefits. Fitness is not an instant gratification game… it’s the opposite. People who continually show up and put in the work, get the reward. Play the LONG GAME]
If you’re already an avid lifter or engaged in some form of exercise most days of the week, great! You’ll get plenty of benefit from these drills, and likely find them to be challenging beyond what you anticipated.
Here. We. Go.
Clear a small space. You don’t need much. A 6ft x 6ft space free of furniture and other obstructions will work.
Crawling in small spaces gets the green light from me. You can get a ton of work done inside of an imperfect space.
Reach your arms out, spin around one time. Did you touch anything? No? You’re good… let’s get to work.
Start with Non-Moving Holds
Non-moving, or static, variations are a logical place to acclimate to the demands of crawling.
The purpose of these drills is to get a feel for what a good body position feels like. Take a mental note of what you’re feeling in the arms, shoulders, chest, core, and lower body. Be in the moment, not somewhere else.
Pro-tip: Once you’ve locked in body position, imagine balancing a glass of water on your back. Don’t spill a drop. Or, place a shoe or other small object on your back for immediate feedback.
Remain still, stable, and avoid jostling as much as possible!
To start, practice holding these two positions for 3 sets of 30-40 seconds:
Limit the Base of Support from 4-Points to 3-Points
Ok, now, let’s play around with the impact of limiting the base of support does to these exercises.
Perform 3 sets of 8 shoulder taps (each arm):
During each shoulder tap, your body is doing it’s best to react and re-stabilize itself given the change of floor contacts. The loaded arm takes on the weight of the upper body, working overdrive.
Contralateral Lift Offs
Next, let’s play around with limiting the base of support from 3-points, down to 2-points of contact.
This next series of drills are TOUGH.
You’re going to lift the opposite arm and leg AT THE SAME TIME and hold that position for 10-15 seconds:
If you want, speed up the tempo. Pause and hold the 2-point position for 2-3 seconds before moving to the other side. Keep alternating for time (60 seconds) or for reps (12-15 reps).
Crawl
Set a timer and work each crawling pattern for 3 sets of 30-60 seconds PER EXERCISE.
Move slow, focused, and with control.
Keep your mind’s eye on body position and make hand/foot contacts quiet. Soft and quiet floor interactions are closely associated with control.
Crawling has been an important part of my workouts for a long time. It’s become an essential component of my warm-ups, workouts, and conditioning circuits.
If you find any of the drills above to be overwhelming, you’re not alone. To be honest, even short duration basic variations like the forward/backward crawl was soul-crushing for me in the beginning.
Anything new generally is. Your body doesn’t know how to be efficient yet. Soreness will likely follow in the days ahead.
But, adaptation is a beautiful thing. I made gradual progress from non-moving variations, to a limited base of support hold and into basic crawling patterns and beyond.
Today, I’ll engage in more aggressive crawl workouts that last anywhere from 5, 10, 15 minutes without breaks. But that didn’t happen overnight.
What’s cool about crawling is that it can be progressed far beyond the basics described in this article.
The lizard crawl is a prime example of an advanced, low position crawling pattern that’ll put your strength to the test. A 15-foot lizard crawl can feel like 50 feet.
Leveraging the principle of progressive loading and add weight to crawling exercises to further challenge your strength and coordination. Again, this doesn’t happen overnight, but it’ll give you a glimpse into where you can take this stuff.
Sometimes my workouts are purely ground-based movement sessions jam-packed with crawling and other unique movements.
Benefits and results?
Here’s what I get out of crawling work.
1. Skill transfer. Transitioning from a standing position or walking to the floor is second nature now. I don’t blink. The transition work is seamless. It’s amazing how often I use crawling in real-world situations with my kids, to complete a task or while in the woods hunting.
2. Lean muscle. Nutrition is king for body composition, but the added time under tension crawling definitely added some muscle and definition to my frame. I don’t chase aesthetics, but it’s a nice added bonus.
3. Gains in other lifts. Pushing, squatting, deadlift, etc… all felt more organized. Weight increased, volume increased (reps/sets per workout) and progress was made.
4. Fun. If you’re stuck in a workout rut, it’s time to inject something different into the mix. Doing the same thing over and over will drive you insane, and can fizzle out your interest in exercise. Mix in some crawling, it’s both challenging and refreshing.
Crawling is only the tip of the iceberg. There’s SO MUCH more to explore inside of the ground-based movement category.
Ground-based training is a fantastic supplement to traditional resistance training and mobility work.
Want to go further down the rabbit hole?
If you want to dive into more ground-based work, I don’t blame you and quite frankly I highly recommend you continue to learn about this stuff.
Check out Animal Flow or Movement20XX.
These are the premier ground-based movement training systems. Both are comprehensive platforms with subtle differences in approach.
Animal Flowintegrates different training methodologies: gymnastics, break dancing, Yoga, calisthenics, Capoeria, and various crawling and locomotion variations into movement sequences and flow.
Movement 20XXyou to use this article as a stepping to investigate comprehensive training programs like Animal Flow and Vahva Fitness Movement20XX.
I’ve shared these programs with thousands of people and the feedback has been tremendous.
Which program is the best? Tough question to answer, both are great.
Lately, I’ve been guiding people to Movement20XX. Movement20XX creator, Eero Westerberg, shares a similar approach to training as me. Naturally, my compass points toward the Movement20XX curriculum.
At the end of the day, both programs deliver amazing content that’s clearly articulated. Skill level doesn’t matter.
Beginners will get the coaching they need, and so will advanced movers who are seeking mastery and next-level gains.
Bodyweight training can (and probably should) be the foundation of any home workout.
No matter where you go, what equipment is or isn’t available, bodyweight based exercise is a card that can be ALWAYS be played.
There many ways to design and organize a bodyweight workout.
Varying the tempo, joint range of motion, training on one leg, changing levels, balancing, transitions between exercises are all ways to keep bodyweight training fresh and effective.
Today’s workout is non-traditional, imagine that.
If Yoga, locomotion, and calisthenics got together, partied and made a baby, this flow would be the result.
Flow training is like a more dynamic form of Yoga.
I find myself sharing a lot of slow-tempo movements and flow sequences on YouTube and Instagram.
Subconsciously, it might be a knee-jerk reaction to counterbalance all of the high-intensity training videos out there.
Removing momentum from movements can reveal strengths and weaknesses with regard to what positions and motions you own versus what you don’t.
Here’s the bodyweight flow:
This flow is designed to be mirrored on the right and left side and can be performed as a warm-up or as the workout itself. Changing legs on the single-leg squat will keep you alternating sides.
If you choose to use it as a workout, set a timer and keep working for the duration non-stop.
Aim for 20 minutes. If you get 20 minutes, go to 25 minutes, 30 minutes, etc.
You’ll be exhausted (in a positive way) moving like this for long periods, and it might be an eye-opening shift away from high-intensity training.
Muscles will fatigue and heart rate will elevate, even though you’re moving slow and steady.
This flow is low-impact on the joints but does require a decent amount of joint mobility.
Focus on momentum free movement.
Especially with the modified hip CARs (controlled articular rotations). Do your best to ONLY articulate the hip joint without changing posture to do so. Obviously, in the video, I’m moving elsewhere but the goal is to keep the movement at the hip.
CARs are incredible for joint health, especially the hips which are supposed super mobile, but oftentimes aren’t.
Most people lack mobility at key joints like the hip, which forces other joints to try and pick up the slack, but so commonly ends up creating greater issues (aches, pains, injury).
MyDailyMobility.com is a really good follow along resource to keep up with daily mobility work. The guys upload new workouts all the time. Last time I checked they had 5 months’ worth of workouts for customers.
Similar to resistance training (muscle) and cardio (endurance), mobility must be practiced consistently for maintenance and improvement.
Use it or lose it.
[You can see me lose balance returning to the single-leg stance. I could have reshot the video and uploaded a perfect rep, but I decided to keep the original because this flow will test your balance.]
After the single-leg deadlift (Warrior 3 to the Yoga peeps) descending to the floor gracefully is the next order of business. While this flow is controlled, learning how to fall is a skill people could really benefit from, especially older folks.
Lowering down to the floor stress your pushing muscles and core. You’re basically hitting the brakes on the way down, and stepping on the gas to stand back up.
Lastly, expect the final move to make you cramp at the hips. It’s aggressive. Squat down, lift the hovering leg as high as possible and REACH.
Find the floor, transition through the middle and get deep into the Cossack squat.
Flow completed.
Stand up and start over.
Movement sequences like this are perfect for a home workout.
No equipment is needed, it’s just bodyweight, balance, expressing strength and mobility while flowing into and out of various body positions.
🤔 Want to make this flow harder? Add a weight vest,slow down the tempo ever more or speed up the tempo and move quicker.
👉 Make sure to check out more M(EAUX)TION fitness content on Instagram and YouTube.
The lizard crawl is a total body locomotion pattern, made popular by Ido Portal.
As great as lizard crawl exercise (bodyweight only) is, there are simple ways to make it harder if you’re interested, and that’s what this post is about.
Crawling exercises can be progressed similarly to a squat, deadlift, bench press or any other traditional resistance exercise.
The key is increasing the challenge somewhere, somehow. Make it harder.
Progressive overload (adding weight) is a key strategy to continue building fitness, especially strength. It keeps you in progress mode.
Exposing the body to progressively greater demands (movement complexity, load, etc) is a pathway to build strength and mitigate injury.
Weak bodies seem to be at a higher risk for injury.
If a given stress overloads tissues beyond their capacity, injury often results.
This is an over-detailed article about my experience adding weight to the infamous lizard crawl, the “king” of locomotion training.
Progressive Overload
Know your options.
Conventional methods of progression include:
Add resistance
Add repetitions
Increase training frequency
Increase volume (sets x reps x resistance)
Decrease rest periods
Halts in progress require a quick audit and a few simple decisions.
Training the same movements with the same weight, time under tension, reps/sets, etc… will yield the exact same results.
And if this seems like common sense, please considered common sense is not always so common.
Adding more weight to a lift, movement or locomotion pattern is not ALWAYS the answer, but more often than not, it is a solid solution to many of the problems people encounter in their training.
Don’t be afraid to increase the load, incrementally and intelligently.
As highlighted in the title of this blog post, I chose to add weight to the lizard crawl as the mechanism of progressive overload.
From sloppy to strong…
When I finally decided to attack the lizard crawl pattern, adding weight was the last thing on my mind.
Early on, even simple crawling patterns exposed my sloppy technique, lack of endurance and heavy-handed/footedness.
Crawling short distances (15-20 yards) wore me out quick. It was humbling. I felt weak. My story is similar to others I’ve heard and read about across the internet. A strong guy in traditional lifts who could not move well on the ground without weight.
Strict crawling drills crushed me. Moving naturally with detailed precision is HARD.
I experienced a pretty dramatic change in movement quality by practicing basic crawling patterns like Beast Crawls (forward, back, and lateral) and Bear Walks.
I’d section off 10-15 minutes of EACH workout for crawling practice, and I still do to this day.
Gains with the basic locomotion patterns evolved into disadvantaged crawling in low positions.
With near daily practice, I became extremely efficient with lizard crawling. My body acclimated and now understands the demands. Adaptation is a beautiful thing. If you want something in the gym, attack the shit out of it. Be relentless.
Crawling distances increased, tempo and pattern variations were added along with introducing crawling backward.
I reached a point where adding more volume became a time suck and borderline ineffective.
Lizard crawling requires a low-to-the-floor body position, aggressive joint angles and a constant on/off body tension from head to toe. The upper body and core demands are intense. Plus, it’s easy to get twisted up with hand and foot placement.
The lizard crawl pattern connects traditional strength work with movements that exist in between. The transitions, gracefulness, soft interactions with the floor, twisting, turning, propelling the body from point A to point B.
The Weighted Lizard Crawl
I have to believe people have added weight this pattern before the writing of this blog post. If not, I am a visionary
Regardless, I was humbled by this movement progression.
I added a 40lb weight vest and a pair of 10lb ankle weights around each leg. A simple weight vest is a very natural tactic to add weight to movements while keeping the hands free.
The weight vest loaded the upper body/torso, while the ankle weights challenged the lower body. Adding the ankle weights is a simple way to load the articulating motion of the hips.
This articulating motion is similar to hip CARs, but a bit less isolated and strict.
When weight increased with any exercise, generally reps/sets, duration, time under tension need some relief. Usually, it’s just for a short time to give the body an opportunity to execute quality work, avoid unnecessary training injuries and adapt to the stress.
Keeping all training variables the same would be too aggressive and unmanageable.
Factoring this in, once I added the weight, I immediately decreased the distance of the crawl and increased rest periods.
Previously, my average bodyweight lizard crawl distance was around 40 yards, broken up into a 10-yard crawl forward/10 yard crawl backward (twice down and back).
For the weighted lizard crawl, I more than cut that distance in half, crawling roughly 10 yards (5 yards forward and backward). On this day, I worked a total of 6 sets. It was enough to leave soreness in the days afterward.
I’d recommend anywhere from 5-8 sets of 10-15 yards of a technique-driven lizard crawling.
As I mentioned before, adding load commonly means taking longer rest periods in between efforts.I wasn’t super detailed on the rest periods, but they were long enough to feel damn fresh.
There is absolutely no need to rush this. Do it right, or don’t do it at all.
There are plenty of weight vest brands to choose from, but MIR is a trusted name and I couldn’t be happier with my MIR weight vest. It’s durable and the short version is awesome.
Arguably, ankle weights are, well, ankle weights.
Although I did get a nice product referral for the Valeo ankle weights from a great trainer in Philadelphia. My only advice here is to size up and buy heavier than you’d think. Also, buy a set that has adjustability (ability to remove the weights). You can always lighten them up if needed, but it’s nice to have heavy ankle weights if needed.
So, I added weight, should you?
The crappy (but honest) answer is, maybe or maybe not. It depends on your experience and goals.
Have you played around with increasing distance and tempo using bodyweight only?
If not, start there.
Initially, leverage basic lizard crawl variations. Gradually add distance and play around with tempo.
Practice lizard crawl press ups, modified range of motion crawls. Place emphasis on body position, technique, timing, and mechanics.
Aim for efficiency.
People like to knock efficiency in training, but the fact is being inefficient at everything wastes precious energy.At some point, you want the work being performed to feel natural.
When it’s natural and fully integrated into your body, it’s useable in the real world.
Adding load to the lizard crawl, in my opinion, increases the challenge exponentially. Far beyond anything I’d experienced before.
Once you’ve added weight, expect the silky smooth crawling technique disappear.
You’re fully engaged in a hybrid variation of resistance training now. Ha.
Muscles and joints will need some time to fully understand the stimulus and adapt to it.
Just getting started with crawling?
If you’ve not yet added crawling exercises (even the basics) to your workouts, you must. Just try it. There’s nothing to lose and everything to gain. Don’t make the mistake of marrying any particular tool or method. Explore everything and integrate what’s useful.
I talk about crawling patterns often.Progressive crawling is excellent for building natural movement strength, endurance, and skill.If you’re an avid lifter, add 5-10 minutes of crawling to your warm up.
Unsure where to start with crawling?
Vahva Fitness and my YouTube channel are great resources to get exposure to crawling. Anyone interested in ground-based movement training of any kind is referred to Movement20XX.
My YouTube channelis LOADED with videos. There’s plenty to watch, not a ton of boring commentary and I am always available for questions and conversation. Simply enter the “crawling” into the search bar.
Closing Thoughts…
The purpose of this article is to introduce people to one simple strategy of increasing the difficulty of the lizard crawl.
Start with bodyweight based lizard crawl variations.
Don’t be a dumbass.
Earn tougher movement progressions by practicing the basics.
I referenced several good resources above, make sure you check those out.
Lastly, leave a note on your experience, I love hearing from people.
Natural movement flow is a key training element missing from most people’s fitness regimens.
Including movement combinations, ground-based exercises and sequences bridge the gap between linear resistance training and natural movement.
Practicing exercises in isolation essential for developing performance.
What is isolation?
Deadlifts, front squats, push-ups and pulling without the addition of any add-on exercises, using a work-then-rest format, is isolation.
You’re isolating an exercise and performing it for a set number of sets, reps and rest.
In a separate blog post, I dove deeper into Ido Portal’s general training template, which included an overview of his methods following this approach:
Isolation 👉 Integration 👉 Improvisation
Walk into any gym, and you’re likely going to see people exercising in isolation.
Perform a set of deadlifts, rest, check Instagram, a sip of water, then back to the next set of deadlifts.
This is the isolation phase of movement training.
Movement Flow
If you’re looking to add a fresh challenge to your workouts, combining exercises together to create movement flow sequences is a great way to do that.
Several years ago, I started mixing and matching traditional movement patterns and non-traditional exercises together to create 2 or 3 exercise flow sequences.
Here’s an example:
Gym workouts and real-world movement can be very different experiences.
While I value pursuing a mechanically perfect squat, do I ever stop to align my feet before squatting in a real-world scenario?
NEVER.
The modified squat I’m using in a real-world situation is often combined with 1 or 2 other movements.
Squat down, lunge up, twist and carry.
It’s rarely every just a perfect bodyweight squat in the real-world.
One goal of controlled environment training (aka gym workouts) is maximum transferability.
We lift and conditioning with the idea that it will enhance the physical moments (daily tasks, sports, and recreation, health, etc) help us improve the functionality of our body.
Yet, natural bodyweight movement is completely absent from most workout templates.
Crawling, climbing, rolling, navigating changing levels (laying to standing, fall training, etc), rotation or fusing exercises together in a pre-planned movement sequence or improvised movement work where you don’t know what’s coming next.
Practicing how to transition efficiently and effectively between two different body positions or patterns just makes sense to me.
Benefits of Movement Flow Training
👉 Improve movement IQ (confidence, dissipating fear of unexplored positions and tasks).
👉 Coordination and skill-building.
👉 Improving spatial awareness and how to transition between movements.
👉 Strength at more angles and positions.
👉 Injury mitigation via conditioning tissues to handle stress.
👉 Improve mind-body connection
👉 Control over one’s bodyweight.
👉 Fun, refreshing, never boring.
Movement flow is very challenging for the mind, which to me, is one of the greatest benefits of flow work.
While you’re learning a flow, you really have to think it through to execute it properly and avoid getting twisted up, trips and falls.
“Ok, so my hand goes here, foot over the top, create tension, then relax, drop down, etc…”
The elevated thinking involved with a lot of ground-based movements is a major benefit.
Plus, introducing flow training is refreshing and fun.
Hours in the gym working the same exercises, chasing the numbers (weight increases, more reps, more sets, faster finishing times) can get quite bland.
Remaining excited every to move every single day is best for the long-term.
5 Bodyweight Movement Combinations
#1Parallette Bar Pass Through to L-Sit
Parallette Bars are inexpensive to buy and easy to build from PVC pipes.
Start in a push-up position, passing the legs through the middle of the parallettes right into an L-Sit.
If an L-Sit is too aggressive, transition into a tuck position instead.
Hold the L-Sit for a 2-3 second count, then reverse the motion back to the start position.
Perform 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps.
No parallettes?
Chairs, stools or yoga blocks a good equipment substitutes.
#2High Bridge Rotation to Lizard Crawl
A reasonable looking back bridge used to be impossible for me. My body was stiff as a board and incapable of arching through the spine. My shoulders lacked mobility, etc.
Using dedicated joint mobility drills really accelerated the process, expanding the positions I was able to get into and out of, but bulletproofing my joints as well.
MyDailyMobility is my recommendation for mobility conditioning.
Today, I practice some variation of back bridging in nearly every workout, either as maintenance or to make progress.
High Bridge Rotations require an adequate amount of spinal extension, shoulder mobility, stability and strength, which is why I recommend adopting a mobility program to accelerate the process.
From an exercise progress perspective, practicing basic back bridges is the starting point.
Adding in the rotation will come after.
Transitioning out of the high bridge rotation can be a dizzying experience. Refocus your vision, lower down and crawl lizard-style.
The lizard crawl is an amazing strength and conditioning exercise.
Perform a push-up, hop forward into a deep squat position, place the hands on the floor slightly behind the butt cheeks as the legs extend and LIGHTLY tap the floor with the heels.
Reverse the flow.
Keep the sprawl motion soft and graceful.
#4Lunge to Pistol Squat Flow
Lower body training is essential for health and performance.
Our legs need to be strong and well-conditioned, but also mobile and capable of expressing strength and stability throughout a large range of motion.
This combination connects two movement patterns:lunges and squats.
During the transition from front to back, do your best to avoid making contact with the floor.
This is one combination probably best executed for reps.
3-5 sets of 6-10 reps per side will work.
#5Lizard Crawl + Low Scorpion
This lizard crawl + low scorpion combination is a unique, high-value movement combination.
There’s no beginning or end with this sequence, which makes it a great bodyweight-based cardio alternative.
This flow is relatively compact, making it perfect for a small home gym or other imperfect training spaces.
Practice this sequence for repetitions or time.
I like to set a timer and go. Not having to keep track of reps allows me to focus on what my body is doing.
Time-wise, I’ve used this flow for 5+ minutes continuous and it’s a challenge every time.
MOVEMENT20XX
Fusing movements together to create flows is a great addition to traditional lifting and cardio, and is sure to bring a refreshing challenge into workouts.
If you want to learn more about movement flow training, I highly recommend checking out the MOVEMENT20XXprogram from Vahva Fitness.
MOVEMENT20XX is one of the best movement-based products I’ve come across.
Eero Westerberg did a brilliant job organizing and communicating the techniques of each exercise, how to create flows and leverage this method of training to build a high functioning body.
Animal Flow is a ground based movement system that leverages multi-planar movements, transitions and various crawling patterns to create an effective form of exercise.
Scorpion, is a unique exercise with roots in Yoga, yet adapted and modernized by Animal Flow.
The benefits of practicing exercises like Scorpion on a regular basis are many, and discussed throughout this post.
Scorpion is a versatile exercise. We can slip it into warm ups, workouts, movement sequences and improvised flows.
The aim of this post is to give you information on Scorpion technique, benefits and ideas on how to integrate this great exercise into your current or future workout regimen.
More information on Animal Flow will be provided at the end of the article.
Animal Flow Scorpion
Benefits of the Scorpion exercise
Lengthening of the hamstrings and lats
Opening up and activating the hips
Thoracic spine extension and rotation
Shoulder strength and stability
Rotational core training
Uniquely challenging multi-planar movement
Ground based, bodyweight, equipment free, minimal space requirements
Just one exercise, all of those benefits.
Ground based movement exposes your movement flaws.
To be blunt, expect to feel stiff and weak.
Newbies to ground based movement training should anticipate getting tripped up for a while.
The mechanics of the new exercises are foreign, the spatial awareness is new, the timing, tension, breathing, range of motion, etc… is new.
Consistent practice yields improvement.
Scorpion Movement Technique
Bottom Position
The bottom position of Scorpion involves trunk flexion and a bit of rotation.
You can see my spine flexed, core hollowed out.
Cues:
–Eyes toward the hands
–Shoulders over the hands
–Round the back slightly to make room for the knee coming across
Slide the knee across the midline of the body to the opposite side elbow.
Once there, “kiss” the knee cap to the elbow.
Reverse the motion to start the upward phase of Scorpion.
* Tip:Limit momentum from the cross-body knee touch.Move slow and with control.If you cannot touch the knee to the opposite side elbow without compensating, that’s fine!Work the range of motion that you’re able to control.
**Warning: core cramping possible and likely***
Driving the knee across the midline to the opposite side elbow is difficult shit.
People who practice this type of training regularly (Yogis, etc) make it look easy, but it’s not.
Cramps and whole body shaking is likely.
Top Position
At the top of the Scorpion, the body moves into trunk extension and rotation.
Cues:
– Ears between the arms
– Keep anchored leg as straight at the knee, heel down.
– “Reach” with the elevated foot, squeeze the glute
– Relax the jaw and neck (breathe)
What you should FEEL during Scorpion…
Moving is a multi-sensory experience.
You hear, see and feel with every movement.
Knowing what to feel can speed up the learning curve with new movements and also give feedback that you’re doing the movement correctly.
Bottom position of Scorpion
Shoulder and chest burn from stabilizing bodyweight in the high plank position.
Intense core burn from the cross body knee to elbow.
Top position of Scorpion:
Suspended glute is WORKNG HARD, feel the burn here.
Hip flexor stretch.
Backside stretch running down the anchored leg from glute to the heel.
Side body stretch from the rotation (mainly the lats)
Personally, my lats (hips to arm pits) get a big stretch while practicing scorpion.
How to Use Animal Flow Scorpion into Workouts
Scorpion is extremely versatile for workouts.
Slip it into warm ups, the workout itself or use it as part of a flow.
Warm Up
Animal flow exercises are ideal to use in warm ups.
Animal Flow movements are multi-planar, and very unique compared to what most people are doing in daily workouts.
Exercises like the Scorpion move the entire body through a unique range of motion, challenging the core, hips and shoulders.
Ground based movements condition your body’s spatial awareness, strength, mobility, stability and efficiency.
Lunges, squats, kettlebell swings, over head pressing, push ups and vertical pulling exercises such as pull ups and chin ups are all great exercises, but they lack rotation.
Training your body to move well on a whim, in a wide variety of environments, on different terrain, over/under/through various obstacles or while completing unique tasks amplifies your movement capacity.
If you’re currently lifting weights and doing cardio, GOOD!
This article is NOT a call to stop doing those activities.
Animal Flow style training and a quality resistance/cardio training regimen can and should coexist.
Combining strength, conditioning and forms of natural movement creates the new gold standard in fitness.
Scorpion is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to ground based movement. There’s so much more to explore.
If you really want to received full benefit of flow work and ground based training, I highly recommend checking out Animal Flow.
The Crab Reach is a great bodyweight exercise with a whole bunch of options of use before, during and after a workout.
For a simple bodyweight move, this exercise offers a lot of benefits.
Benefits of the Crab Reach
Posterior chain activation and hip extension
Active Thoracic Mobility
Anterior body stretch (hip flexors, quads, torso)
Shoulder stability/endurance emphasis in loaded shoulder
Trunk rotation
Right and Left Side
Low-impact
Combat Sitting
The Crab Reach is a great exercise to battle/off-set the negative effect of long duration sitting.
It’s not “the cure”, the only tool or the “best” tool, but it’s a good one to implement on a regular basis.
Reversing aches and pains caused by primarily long duration sitting requires dedication, discipline, and volume.There is no quick fix.
A quick hip flexor stretch, thoracic mobilization, and glute bridge are not going to cancel out 8+ hours of sitting in the same turtle-like, wound up position.
Body restoration takes time, effort, consistency and volume.Lots of repetitions, likely lots of time and an aggressive mindset.Assuming you’re doing everything right, expect improvements over time.
Most people slump like a turtle while sitting. Sitting like a slouchy turtle for 8-10 hours per day, 5 days per week isn’t good for our bodies.
We become the positions we use most.
Fill in Gaps with Movement Training
Strength and conditioning built from traditional resistance training can benefit greatly from practicing multi-planar movements like the crab reach.
Deadlifts are great. Chin-ups are great. Rows, push-ups and rotational core training are all great.
These are fundamental movements to build a strong body.
But there are movement gaps leftover from each of these exercises.
Once you’re on the floor crawling, transitioning between locomotion exercises, you find out pretty quick there’s a difference between squatting up and down with lots of weight on the bar and moving gracefully through space.
It’s humbling.
Exploring bodyweight oriented movement is a key piece of the fitness puzzle that will improve your movement IQ and create a well-functioning body.
What’s a well-functioning body?
Strong (proportionate to what a person needs to thrive in daily life), mobile, confident in many different postures/positions/patterns, conditioned, free of aches and pains.
Ground-based conditioning is a great way to backfill any gaps resistance training is not designed to address.
Free-flowing, multi-planar fitness.
Practicing postures and movement patterns less common to daily life.
Improving strength, mobility and stability in uncommon movements make everyday exercises feel easy.
Rotation
Looking at the average person’s exercise favorites, it’s usually a shortlist made up of linear resistance training and a sprinkling of cardio.
Break out of the linear matrix.
Every repetition of Crab Reach moves the body through a multi-planar, active range of motion.
Through the range of motion, the body will extend and rotate.
The twist is visible from the hip flexor, moving diagonally through the mid-section to the loaded shoulder.
How to Use Crab Reach in Workouts
Ground-based bodyweight movement is extremely versatile.
Keeping it simple, here are a few different options to integrate the crab reach into daily fitness:
In the warm-up
Filler exercise during a lifting session
As part of a flow sequence
Crab Reach can be practiced in isolation or as a combination.
I recommend practicing new movements in isolation to increase focus on technique.
Practicing an exercise in isolation is better to understand the mechanics and demands is best.
Isolating the exercise will give you the opportunity to focus on the mechanics of the movement and spatial awareness.
Warming Up with the Crab Reach
Movement flow exercises are perfect for pre-workout warm-ups.
These movements are generally dynamic, full range of motion exercises that require movement into and out unique body positions, angles and tempo.
Crab reach can serve as a valuable movement prep before exercises like deadlifts or kettlebell swings.
Crab Reach as Part of the Workout
Positioning the Crab Reach as part of a Tri-Set is a great way to isolate and practice the exercise while staying active/productive during a strength training session.
Here’s an example a simple Tri-Set:
Exercise A) Front Squats
Exercise B) Chin-Ups
Exercise C)Crab Reach
Crab Reach acts as a non-competing exercise with the front squats and chin-ups.
Focus on a slow and controlled tempo through the fullest range of motion you can make happen.
After you are feeling good about the mechanics, increase the volume.
Don’t be shy about bumping up the reps to 15-20 reps per side. Setting a timer can be a nice option.
Not interested in counting reps?
Set a timer and go. Alternating right and lefts for 2-5 minute timed sets can free’s you up from having to count reps.
Summary…
Bodyweight ground-based movements are effective for building strength, mobility, endurance, and movement IQ
Crab Reach is a versatile exercise that can be performed anywhere and anytime.
Benefits of the Crab Reach include posterior chain activation, anterior body lengthening, thoracic mobility, body awareness in space.
The Crab Reach is great to include in warm-ups, during the workout or as flow training.
The Crab Reach is an effective exercise to help mitigate aches/pains from sitting, restore function.
Want to Go Deeper? Check This Out…
Vahva Fitness has created a fully streamable bodyweight-based movement program called Movement20XX.
The movement curriculum in Movement20XX is progressive, challenging, and scalable for beginners, intermediates and all the way up to people seeking movement mastery.
Movement training is easily scaled to suit each person’s skill level.
Movement20XX is one of a small number of hand-picked online fitness programs I support.
Direct core training is an essential part of any workout program.
The fitness industry gets into highschool level fights over whether direct core training necessary, but since I believe in training the entire body…
…. core training is a must.
Boom.
In a way, if your core sucks, you suck.
A strong core protects the spine and serves as a conduit for force transmission between the upper and lower body.
Ground reaction forces travel from the feet, up through the mid-section and out through body tips of the fingers.
Highly controversial fitness trainer Uncle David Weck taught me that.
If the muscles that wrap around the torso are weak or under-performing, energy leaks and both performance and function can suffer.
A strong bodies has a strong core.
A balanced, comprehensive approach to core focused training will calbrate the body to properly absorb force and produce force in all planes of movement.
This is a giant list, so let’s not waste any more time.
Here are 15 different core based exercises worth slipping into your next workout…
1.Anti-Extension Roll Outs (Ab Wheel Roll Outs)
For $15 on Amazon, you can purchase an Ab Wheel Roller.Ab Wheel Roll Outs are anti-extension core exercise, great for building not only core strength but core endurance.
In a tall kneeling position, slowly roll out way from the knees.
During this rollout motion, cue your hips to fall outward at the same pace as the upper body.
Roll as far out as you can control. If the lower back caves, you’ve gone to far.
Pull yourself back in using your mid-section, lats and pec muscles (gripping the handles hard).
During the most difficult portion of the roll-out, “hollow” out the mid-section.
The hollow body position tucks the ribs down while the navel curls toward the ribs. The result is a curved body shape or the “hollow” body.
2.Turkish Get-Ups
As far as productivity and global training effect, Turkish Get Ups (TGUs) are hard to beat.
Turkish Get Ups are a total body exercise.
The goal of the Turkish Get Up is to transition from a lying position (supine) to a standing position, reverse the order and return back to the original lying position.
Controlling the weight during the up-down sequence is fatiguing not only for the core but for the loaded shoulder as well.
Turkish Get Ups are best performed with kettlebells or dumbbells, though nearly any object of weight can be substituted.I’ve used sandbags, liquid filled milk cartons, barbells, weight vests, shoes, and weight plates to name a few.
Turkish Get Ups are best learned by isolating and practicing each segment.
Stabilizing the weight overhead is can be draining for the stabilizing muscles of the shoulder.However, the time spent in this over-chest/over-head position is fantastic for building shoulder stability, which can help with injury mitigation and performance.
Standing up and laying back down equals one rep.
Sidenote: I’ve used Turkish Get Ups as my “workout of the day” for years. I set a timer (10, 15, 20 minutes) and alternate sides until the timer sounds.
I use a variety of weights during this time, work several repetitions in a row without putting the weight down or mix up the way I stand up and lay back down for variation (squat, lunge, etc).I’ve added a simple press at each of the 7 steps, performed kettlebell swings cleans and snatches at the halfway point (standing position).
Dragon Flags (and variations) are one of my favorite core exercises.
Why? Because they’re hard as hell!
Dragon Flags require a tremendous amount of effort and total body tension.
Ly on your back, grab onto a bench, squat rack, heavy sandbag or any other immovable object with the hands positioned above the head.
Raise the feet up to the ceiling. Making the body as straight as possible from ankles to shoulders, begin lowering to the floor.
SLOW IT DOWN, resist gravity’s pull.
Working the descent of the dragon flag is known as the “eccentric”. For beginners, only focusing on quality eccentrics is just fine.
If you’re feeling strong, Advanced Trainees can reverse the eccentric and ascend back to the top.
Do not lose the straight line from head to toe.
After listening to Gymnastics Bodies founder Coach Christopher Sommer’s podcasts with Tim Ferriss, I dropped Dragon Flags into my workouts as a mainstay core conditioning exercise.
Planks are a fundamental static core drill and a position worth exploring.
The video demonstrates rotational side planks.
I use these (and many other plank variations) frequently.
Reps, sets and time to hold each plank exercise is a highly debated topic.
If you can comfortably hold a plank for 90-120 seconds without strain, you’re likely wasting your time and the return on effort has diminished.
Move on to more challenging core work.
4.Crawling
Crawling is a critical component for early childhood physical development, but also effective for building strength and conditioning in the gym.
The more “adult” we become, the more we move away from activities we engaged in as kids.
This is de-evolution. It’s not good.
You either use it, or you lose it.
And as adults, we tend to move less and less with age, and if we do move, it’s generally isolated to linear walking or machine-based cardio.
Adults need to revisit moving like they did when they were kids.
Get on the floor and crawl.
5.Lizard Crawl
The Lizard Crawl is an advanced crawling pattern and probably the king of all ground-based crawling variations.
Ground-based conditioning is bodyweight training with no equipment needed.
6.Offset/Asymmetric Pressing and Holds
Grab a dowel, barbell or a stronger broomstick.
Dangle an object (with a handle) like a kettlebell or wrap a resistance band on one end.
Now, press or hold that dowel without changing body position or allow the object to slip off.Confused?Me too.Watch the video above and it will all make more sense.
Objects we encounter in life are rarely perfectly balanced.
Weight is often distributed unevenly, which means we have to adapt to awkward loads, recalibrate on the fly and push on.
7.One Arm Push Ups
A lesson in indirect core training, one arm push-ups will challenge the muscles of the midsection better than 95% of core based exercises.
One-arm push-ups train single arm pressing strength like few other exercises.
Global Bodyweight Training does a great job laying out exercise progressions leading to the one arm push up.
8.L-Sits (all variations)
L-Sits are a beginner exercise in the gymnastics training realm.
Very humbling to think about it with that perspective, since L-Sits are a tough ass exercise.
Creating an “L” between your upper body and lower body (at the hips) extremely taxing for the hip flexors and lower abdominal muscles.
Starting out, you’ll have to dial back the duration of your L-Sit efforts to 5-10 seconds of work, with plenty of rest between each effort.
In time, the duration of the hold will increase as your body adapts to the demands.
Of all of the basic gymnastics postures, I have found L-Sits to be an absolute game-changer for building core strength.
Including L-Sits in my workouts, 2-3 times per week has increased my hold duration time from a few mediocre sets of 10-15 seconds to 30+ seconds with legs moving above parallel.
9.Arch Body Holds
Lay on the floor face down, arms and legs stretched out straight above/below.
Lift the upper body and lower body at the same time, arching your back toward your butt.
Hold this Superman-like position for 5-10 seconds and release back to the floor.
Repeat for repetitions.
Progress Arch Body Holds by increasing the time of the hold.
10.Hollow Body Variations (rocking and static holds)
Hollow body holds (progressing into rocking) conditioning the entire front side of the body, from fingertips to toe tips.
The quads, diaphragm, abdominals, hip flexors all get some love during hollow body training.
11.Toes to Bar
Toes to Bar improves core strength, midline endurance while improving grip, shoulder health and back performance.
Prolonged hanging from a bar, branch or anything overhead is therapeutic for the upper body.
There are few different variations of the Toes to Bar exercise, kipping (ballistic) or strict.
12.Bridging
Bridging is can help offset the modern-day desk warrior posture.
Following the lead-up bridge positions and working shoulder and mid-back mobility, hip flexor flexibility and glute strength can inch you closer to a full bridge.
I’d also suggest training active mobility.
MyDailyMobilityis a follow-along mobility program with updated workouts every week. Taking the time to train mobility will bulletproof joints against injury and increase performance.
Once you’re able to hold a static high bridge for 45-60 seconds, start exploring adding the rotational piece into the bridge movement.
13.Dynamic High Plank Exercises (pull-throughs, push-pull)
14.Landmine Grapplers
The landmine trainer provides the opportunity to train many angled exercises and rotational exercises not possible without the pivoting sleeve.
If you’ve got access to a barbell and a few weight plates, you can start training landmine exercises right away.
Before you read this, please know I am a HUGE advocate for moving workouts into the home setting.
Cutting the cord on a big box gym membership is a little like cutting the cord on cable television. I’ve done both so I’ve got some experience here. Change is hard. Sounds dumb but when I cut cable television for good, I had a few weeks of not knowing what the hell to do with myself at night.
It was purely conditioning and habit driving these feelings.
But eventually, I adapted and transitioned my time to more productive activities. Of course economical streaming subscriptions also helped fill the void (Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, etc).
Anyways, there’s some initial hesitation, weighing, back and forth, and although it sounds kind of funny… anxiety involved with cancelling a gym membership (or cable television).
“What will I do without my gym membership?”
Step oneis to ask yourself if you’re actually using your gym membership. If you are, how many days a week are you going? Are you getting results from that money and time investment?
These are simple questions. Are you going to the gym enough to make the cost of keeping the membership worth while?
A lot of people go to the gym with intentions of losing weight, building strength, getting healthy, yet have very little if anything to show for it.
No offense to these folks, but there’s a lot of people that fall into this category. Gyms love them because not achieving results (aka: spinning tires in the mud) is great for ensuring a steady revenue stream. The anxiety is too high to cancel the membership. So, you pay every month.
If you do go to the gym and you enjoy it, KEEP YOUR MEMBERSHIP.
The goal of this article isn’t to project a rigid stance on big box gyms and paint them as being a bad place.
My goal is to shed light on the effectiveness of working out at home and let you know it’s more than doable, it’s becoming the new standard. Lots of people aren’t aware of this. #themoreyouknow
A lot of folks use gyms as a social hang out just as people get memberships at the local country club to hang out with their buddies.
Well built gyms often offer amenities to families (pools, child care, classes, etc). So for these folks, spending the money might be well worth it.
Mom and Dad can get some exercise in while the kids play in the pool with licensed gym staff.
But…
… cancelling your gym membership will free up funds, time and hopefully bring some excitement back to your workouts.
The biggest benefit (in my opinion) of moving workouts to a home gym set up is the freeing up of TIME.
When I was younger I had a much harder time understanding the value of my time on this earth. My perception was that I had all the time in the world. Wrong.
Fast forward several birthdays later, I feel much differently. I have a desire to own as much of my time as possible. Life’s too short.
Google “Memento Mori Chart” and fill one of those out if you really want the realities on the shortness of life.
Balancing family, career and finding time for recreation can eat up most of the time in a day.
Working out at a membership based brick and mortar gym certainly has it’s advantages, but it also has limitations which often go overlooked.
#1 Paying for something you don’t use.
A gym membership going unused or not being used on a regular basis is a waste of money.
#2 Time.
How much is your time worth?
Time is our most precious commodity, and we can never get time back. Drive time to and from, changing clothes time, waiting for equipment time, workout time, shower time, etc. Big box gyms are a TIME SUCK.
#3 Safe equipment.
Most gyms still refuse to offer fitness equipment considered to be “taboo” or “dangerous” because it’s a liability for injury.
So, the average big box gym is littered with fixed range of motion (aka: artificial and unnatural range of motion cardio and resistance machines)
There’s a reason most people despise exercise… because spending hours on these machines is uneventful and completely against human nature. We were force fed the concept of exercising on fixed machines back in the 1960’s and 1970’s and somehow the concept survived to 2018.
Those feelings of boredom while “ellipticalling” are real… and more importantly they are NOT WRONG. Your body craves robust movement, exploration, change of direction, challenge.
It took 8+ years for most gyms to offer kettlebells to clients for fear of throwing them through mirrors, dropping them on toes, or blowing out backs from poor technique. All reasonable concerns.
To be blunt, if your gym isn’t offering and promoting alternative modalities of building fitness such as kettlebells, you’re missing out.
#4 Personal training is expensive
God bless personal trainers and their ongoing commitment to educating the public on the benefits of exercise.
But personal training is expensive.
Personal training is expensive regardless if you’re training 1-on-1, semi private or in a group setting. At $5, $10 or in some areas $70-$80 per session you could pivot and transition those dollars into one of many online training programs (probably starting with bodyweight based training like yoga or calisthenics) and gradually purchase some home equipment.
Start with a simple pair of dumbbells or kettlebells, maybe a suspension trainer. These are three of the most versatile pieces of gym equipment on the market.
Yes, I know barbell training is amazing. But even in the year 2018, barbells freak a lot of people out. I don’t know if their is data on this, but it’s anecdotal fact for me in conversations with people.
So, do your homework on dumbbells, kettlebells or a suspension trainer.
For the cost of one month of gym membership, you can buy one or possibly two pieces of equipment. A kettlebell is a one-time purchase. That kettlebell will outlast your life.
The gym membership model succeeds and relies on signing up customers who don’t set foot in the door.
I didn’t make this up.
Listen, if I owned a gym I wouldn’t want all of my members to workout daily and tear up my expensive equipment.
It would be a hassle and lost dollars for me to constantly fix broken down cardio machines, reface beat up barbells and weight plates, patch holes in benches, etc.
No, no… if I owned a gym, give me your money and stay at home.
Here are some great articles regarding gym memberships:
“Joining a gym is an interesting form of what behavioral economists call pre-commitment,” says Kevin Volpp, director of the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics at the Wharton School. Volpp says we actually like the idea of being locked into a gym contract … at first, anyway. “They’re picturing the ‘new me’ who’s actually going to go to the gym three times a week and become a physical fitness machine.” We convince ourselves that since we have committed to putting down money for a year, we will make ourselves go to the gym. And then, of course, we don’t.
Working out at home is not for everyone.
“Wait, I thought you just told me that…”
I did.
Before you cancel your gym membership, it’s important to understand your habits and personality.
Cancelling a gym membership with intentions of working out at home, but never actually getting the home workout habit to stick is not good. It’s a step in the wrong direction.
If you were exercising twice a week at a gym, but now exercising ZERO times per week after making the transition, this is not a good scenario.
While taking workouts into the home setting is loaded with advantages, a lot of people may find it difficult to stick to a workout regimen at home.
I’ve found that inability to make the home workout habit stick are pretty similar to the reasons a lot of people shouldn’t have a home-based career.
The comfortable environment of the home setting can kill off motivation for physical exertion and breed complacency.
The temptation to do anything but be productive and get work done is too great.
Before cancelling a gym membership, test the waters by bringing 1 or 2 workouts into the home. Keep it simple. Work some bodyweight sessions, play around with the space you’ve got and get acclimated.
No equipment means no workout!
Survey says: Wrong.
A common perception is that quality exercise cannot happen without the presence of fancy fitness machines.
Heavenly Father… what are you supposed to do without any fitness equipment?!
I can see how a person would have this opinion, I really can. But the reality is you DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW.
If you have these feelings, you’ve got to explore your options.
Here are some ideas for you…
Yoga, Animal Flow, KinStretch, gymnastics and calisthenics and resistance training are all INCREDIBLE forms of movement that can provide far more benefit for your body (looks, feel and performance) than any machine ever will.
Listen, exercise machines have their place, but moving your body in a natural environment should be a primary goal. Your body and the ground. Start there.
What about walking?
Walking, time and time again has proven to be potent form of daily activity. Start with 10 minutes per day, every single day. See what happens.
The Economics of Building a Home Gym
Before buying home gym equipment there are two important points to consider:
Quality gym equipment often isn’t cheap at time of purchase. The upfront cost of purchasing the equipment will likely exceed what you were paying per month at your gym. However, shift your attention to the long-term value instead of the short-term. Most quality gym equipment should last you lifetime versus paying for monthly gym memberships.
What’s the cost of not exercising across the long-term? This question can be hard to wrap one’s head around, but seriously, in 10, 20, 30 years, what will be the cost you pay for not taking care of yourself physically when you had the chance.
A badass home gym could be built by shifting spending habits for 6-8 months.
Many people won’t buy gym equipment for the home because they don’t know how to use it. In 1996, this was a valid concern, but not in 2017. This little thing called the internet has created massive opportunities to learn basic technique of physical conditioning, all the way to movement mastery.
Fitness is now digital. The information is distributed through video, audio and the written word, there is education that appeals to all forms of learning. A lot of it is given away for free.
Everything a person could want to know about fitness is on the internet.
If you’re one of those anti-internet people… please stop. Yes, the internet has some crap floating around but so does society.
Take ownership, research, experiment, explore, refine, get curious, learn.
I want this article to open your eyes to a different perspective on working out, where you do it, how you do it and a alternative view to transitioning your health regimen back to home base.
Even if you don’t make the switch, it’s important to have the information.
Please let me comments or questions.
Check out some of these other topics of I’ve explored on the blog…
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