Bear Crawl Race and Relay

Cones or markers for start and finish lines

A flat grassy area

Mark a start and finish line about 20 feet apart on grass. Grass is important — hands will be on the ground and pavement hurts.

Demonstrate the bear crawl: place hands flat on the ground, shoulder-width apart. Feet on the ground behind you, hip-width apart. Lift your knees off the ground so only hands and feet touch. Your hips should be about at shoulder height.

Practice moving forward: move your right hand and left foot forward together, then your left hand and right foot. Opposite hand and foot, just like walking.

Line up at the start line. On "Three, two, one, GO!" everyone bear crawls to the finish line. No knees touching the ground — that's the rule.

Turn around and bear crawl back to the start. The round trip is where the real workout happens.

Try a relay: bear crawl to a cone 15 feet away, stand up and sprint back, tag the next teammate. Mix the two movements.

Sideways Bear Crawl: face one direction and bear crawl sideways. This crushes the core and shoulders.

Put a beanbag on your back while bear crawling. If it falls off, stop, put it back on, and continue. This forces slow, controlled movement.

Bear crawls are used by every youth sports program, military fitness program, and CrossFit gym in the world because they work. They build shoulder stability, core strength, and total body coordination.

The most common mistake is lifting the hips too high (looking like an upside-down V instead of a bear). Coach kids to keep their back flat and hips level with their shoulders.

Keep races short. Twenty feet of bear crawling is genuinely exhausting. Longer distances lead to collapsed form.

Make it a regular warmup before other outdoor activities. Two bear crawl trips across the yard gets blood flowing and muscles engaged.

Race adults against kids. The weight disadvantage for adults makes bear crawling proportionally harder, leveling the playing field.