Maybe I was naive, but I thought crawling would be easy – after all, babies crawl and I’m better than them at most things.
But by the time I crawled across the gym floor in North Bethesda for my third attempt, I was lacking confidence. My arms and legs were burning, I was breathing hard, and sweat was streaming down my face despite the air conditioning on full blast. And I was doing it wrong.
“Reset,” Marcus Wilmet said as my limbs tangled. Wilmet is a certified personal trainer and Animal Flow instructor. Bodyweight training Practitioners perform a series of “animal movement movements.”
Animal Flow is one of a growing number of quadrupedal movement training (QMT) workouts. Popularity and NoteOn TikTok, QMT’s videos have received millions of views. Primitive movement and GMB Elements He argues that the key to gaining greater strength and mobility for humans is to move more like animals.
“It’s a way to reconnect with our natural selves,” says Darryl Edwards, author of Animal Moves and creator of the Primal Play method. “I don’t want to be a caveman — I’m happy to be in the 21st century — but I want to move in ways that feel more natural and instinctive.”
But are there really any benefits to crawling around like a living thing? How does it work?
How does QMT work?
Each program is a little different: in Animal Flow, the basic forms include the Monkey, Beast and Crab, which are then combined with various switches and transitions such as Underswitch and Scorpion to form a “flow.”
The crawling move that I was, or wasn’t, able to do with Wilme was called “The Beast”: Balancing on the balls of your hands and feet, you step forward with your right hand and left foot, then your left hand and right foot, and after a few sequences do the same backwards.
After we had pretty much mastered the Beast, Vilmet and I moved on to the Underswitch, rotating from Beast position (balancing on stomach on hands and knees) to Club position (balancing on stomach on hands and knees). This was difficult, but I only confused Vilmet a few times by confusing left and right.
By the end of the session, my body and my brain were exhausted. The movements require strength, balance and coordination. It’s like solving a puzzle, but the puzzle is your body. Vilme and I agreed that in that sense it was like dancing. I wouldn’t say I was bad at dancing.
What are the benefits of QMT?
“It’s a combination of cardio and strength training,” Edwards says, and this combination is one of the most effective ways to exercise, especially for people who are limited on time, he says.
Vilmé also points out that because QMT is a bodyweight workout, it can be done anywhere.
“If you’re in a hotel and you only have a small balcony, you can do your flow there,” he says.
QMT is also effective in improving coordination, balance and control, says Anatolia Vic-Kregel, PhD, assistant director of fitness and wellness at Rice University.
Balancing on all fours engages different stabilizing muscles, particularly around your core and shoulders, she explains. Increased stability can help prevent injury and support your posture and alignment.
There may also be cognitive benefits. 2016 SurveyEleven students took a series of increasingly difficult QMT classes over the course of four weeks. After four weeks, students who completed the QMT training showed “significant improvements” in neuropsychological tests measuring participants’ executive functioning, while the control group showed no improvement.
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Why is QMT becoming more popular?
One reason for the growing interest in QMT may be the training’s inherently playful nature: Edwards says he gets joy and enjoyment from moving around like an animal.
“It’s nostalgic,” he says. “Almost everyone has memories of crawling, climbing and jumping as a child.”
Animal exercise training is visually impressive: I first learned about it from social media videos of men running through the treetops. This video This work by Victor Fraites looks like a cross between a silverback and a yoga instructor as he sprints through the tropical forest, sprinting through thin branches. The primitive training instructor’s attention-grabbing content has helped him grow his Instagram following to more than 900,000.
What are the risks of QMT?
Vic Kregel says one of the downsides to animal exercise training is that you can go from 0 to 60 before you’re ready.
“People want to watch videos online and try to do it without doing the proper foundation,” she says. “This can lead to injury and burnout.”
Vic Kriegel adds that bodyweight training can be scaled to suit almost anyone, but it’s important to start with the basics and work your way up from there. Anyone with a chronic injury or specific physical problem is best off consulting a professional before getting started.
Although there are no risks, it is important to note that QMT will not build muscle. For those looking to build muscle mass or target specific muscle groups, experts recommend Recommendation to Weightlifting has also been incorporated into my routine.
How do I get started with QMT?
There are plenty of books, videos, and online resources that explain the basics of animal locomotion, but if you want a quick way to learn QMT, Edwards suggests trying to crawl on your hands and knees like a bear.
“I think most people would be really surprised at how difficult it is to walk more than a few steps.”
It was difficult for me, for sure, but maybe a baby could do it.
