MovementsConditioning
Crab Walk
Also known as: Crab Crawl
Travelling on the hands and feet facing upward, hips held clear of the floor. It loads the shoulders and the back of the body in a way almost nothing else in a metcon does.
Crab WalkConditioning
The standard
A valid effort keeps only the hands and the feet on the floor with the hips lifted toward the ceiling, moving the prescribed distance without the seat touching down.
How to do it
- 01Sit down and place the hands behind you, fingers pointing toward your feet.
- 02Plant the feet flat with the knees bent to about 90 degrees.
- 03Press through the hands and heels to lift the hips off the floor.
- 04Move an opposite hand and foot together, then the other pair.
- 05Keep the hips high and level rather than letting them sink between steps.
Common faults
- · Hips dropping toward the floor, which is where the shoulders start doing all of it.
- · Fingers pointing away from the feet, which puts the wrists in a rough spot.
- · Moving the same-side hand and foot together and losing the rhythm.
- · Head hanging back rather than staying in line with the chest.
Scaling & progressions
- · Hold the crab position still before adding travel.
- · Take shorter steps and cover less distance per round.
- · Turn the hands out to the sides if the wrists complain.
- · Substitute a bear crawl or a plank when the shoulders have had enough.
Coaching tips
- · Squeeze the glutes and the hips stay up for free.
- · Wrists usually give out first, so build up the distance slowly.
- · One of the few metcon movements that loads the back of the shoulder.
Related movements