Improve your strength, stability, and coordination with the crab walk exercise.
Here’s exactly how to do it.
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In particular, it boosts strength, coordination, posture, and overall fitness.
personal trainer atLife Timein Charlotte, North Carolina
If you havent revisited this childhood classic, it may be time to brush up on your crabwalking skills.
Which muscles does the crab walk exercise work?
The crab walk hits an impressive number of muscles.
Here are the main ones, according to Nigro.
Shoulders
Supporting your body weight helps strengthen the deltoids and rotator cuff, Nigro says.
Core
Crabwalkingengages your entire core, especially your lower back and obliques (the side abs).
These muscles keep your hips lifted and stabilized while you move back and forth.
4 benefits of adding the crab walk exercise to your workouts
1.
Together, these musclesespecially those in your lower back and corehelp keep your torso upright.
personal trainer atLife Timein Charlotte, North Carolina
Your brain must work overtime to coordinate your arms and legs while keeping your core engaged.
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It strengthens multiple muscle groups
As youve seen, the crab walk is a full-body exercise.
It targets your shoulders, arms, core, legs, and wrists and hands, Nigro says.
Greatercore strengthtranslates into safer, more efficient movements in sports and daily life.
This makes it a mild-to-moderate cardiovascular workout, depending on intensity.
4 crab walk variations to mix things up
1.
Crab toe touch
This variation challenges your core strength and stability.
Plus, it improves balance, York says.
Single-leg crab walk
Shifting onto one leg challenges your balance.
It also strengthens your core and supporting leg, York says.
This move enhances core engagement and improves upper body stability, York says.
Remember to keep your core tight while you do this move, too.
This will help you maintain stability and prevent lower back strain, she says.
Its also important to keep your movements slow and controlled.
Dont rush the exercise; moving too fast can compromise your form and cause injury, Nigro says.
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