Crab walks were fun to do as a kid on the playground. But did you know that they’d be good for you even as an adult? This kind of movement, like crawling around like a crab, is called locomotion, which means to move your whole body through space. The crab is great for making the chest, shoulders, and back stronger and more flexible, among other things. We’ll talk more about these benefits below. People think of the crab move as an “animal” move, like the Bear or Frogger moves that are used in martial arts, gymnastics, strength and conditioning programs, and playground games. You may have walked around like a crab as a child, but doing this movement regularly is good for your health. [textbox] To learn more about these benefits, check out our locomotion page. [/textbox].
Crab Walk Exercise: How to Do It, Muscles Worked, Variations, and Benefits
The crab walk may sound like a silly exercise named after an ocean creature, but don’t be fooled – this is a highly effective full body move. Crab walks work multiple muscle groups at once, improving coordination, balance, core strength, and more.
In this article, I’ll explain exactly what the crab walk exercise is which muscles it targets proper form, variations to try, and the main benefits it provides. Read on to learn how this fun, quirky exercise can enhance your workouts and take your fitness up a notch!
What is the Crab Walk Exercise?
The crab walk is a bodyweight exercise that mimics the sideways scuttling motion of a crab. To perform it, you sit on the floor with your knees bent, feet flat, and hips lifted up off the ground. Your hands are placed behind your hips to support your weight as you “walk” forward, backward, and side-to-side without letting your butt touch the floor.
It’s essentially a high plank position that you dynamically move around in – no crab walking required! The crab walk primarily engages your core shoulders triceps, glutes, quads, and hamstrings to provide a challenging full body workout. It improves balance, coordination, stabilization, and cardio endurance too.
While it may look silly and simple, the exercise effectively works multiple muscle groups at once. Just a minute or two of continuous crab walks will have you feeling the burn! It’s commonly used in HIIT, circuit training, and as part of a dynamic warm-up.
Muscles Worked During the Crab Walk
Here are the main muscles targeted during the crab walk exercise:
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Core – The rectus abdominis, obliques, transverse abdominis, and erector spinae work together to keep the body stabilized in the crab walk position. Your core must brace to prevent the hips from sagging.
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Shoulders – The deltoids and trapezius muscles activate to support the weight of the upper body and control scuttling motions.
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Triceps – The triceps engage to extend the elbows and keep arms straight while bearing body weight.
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Glutes – The gluteus maximus muscles power the hip extension required to raise the hips up and move in the crab position.
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Quads – The quadriceps contract eccentrically to control lowering of the hips and walk motions.
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Hamstrings – The hamstrings work to extend the hips as you lift up into the crab walk. They pull the body along as you walk.
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Calves – The gastrocnemius and soleus provide further stabilization as you balance on your feet in the lifted crab stance.
Proper Form and Technique
Follow these steps for proper crab walk form:
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Sit on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor hip-width apart. Lean back slightly and place your hands flat behind your hips with fingers pointing forward.
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Engage your core and glutes and lift your hips up off the floor about 6-12 inches. Your weight should be balanced between your hands and feet. Keep your arms straight but not locked.
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Without letting your butt touch the floor, scuttle your feet and hands forward, backward, and side-to-side. Move in a slow controlled motion and avoid arching the lower back.
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Aim for a flat back posture, retracting the shoulders and keeping the core braced. Don’t hike the hips up too high.
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Breathe naturally and focus on moving from your shoulders, hips, and legs as a unit. Keep good form for the duration of the exercise.
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Lower back down gently to the start position to complete one set. Rest and repeat for the desired number of sets/reps.
Common Mistakes
There are some form errors to be aware of when crab walking:
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Lifting the hips too high – This hyperextends the shoulders and arches the lower back.
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Sagging the hips – Allowing the butt to touch down loses tension and makes it easier.
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Bending the elbows – Keep arms straight to fully engage the triceps.
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Moving too fast – Keep the motions slow and controlled.
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Not bracing the core – Engage the abs to protect the lower back.
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Forgetting to breathe – Remember to exhale on the effort, inhale on return.
Crab Walk Variations
Once you’ve mastered the basic crab walk, try these variations to change up the challenge:
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Backward crab walk – Scuttle the hips backward instead of forward.
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Lateral crab walk – Focus the motions side-to-side.
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Crossover crab walk – Bring opposite elbow to knee while walking.
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Hopping crab walk – Lightly hop hands and feet instead of stepping.
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Wide/narrow crab walk – Widen or narrow the stance.
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Raised crab walk – Perform on a bench or box for increased range of motion.
-Weights – Hold dumbbells or place a weight plate on your hips/stomach.
Benefits of the Crab Walk Exercise
Here are some of the top benefits of adding crab walks to your workout routine:
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Works multiple muscle groups – Hits core, upper and lower body in one move.
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Challenges balance and coordination – Improves whole-body control and proprioception.
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Strengthens the core – Dynamic resistance trains abs, obliques, lower back.
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Tones the glutes and legs – Burns out the butt, quads, hamstrings.
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Defines the arms and back – Works the triceps, delts, traps, lats.
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Elevates heart rate – Gets cardio benefits for improved endurance.
-Fun, unique move – Breaks up boring planks; adds variety to a workout.
- Bodyweight exercise – Requires no equipment for a convenient workout anywhere.
Overall, the crab walk is a versatile exercise that provides a wide range of fitness benefits while working your entire body in a fun new way. The dynamic motions and core challenge make it a great move to incorporate into HIIT circuits, warm-ups, and strength training sessions.
While a seemingly silly exercise named after a sea creature, the crab walk is an excellent functional move to build full body endurance and strength. Give it a try for yourself! Just be prepared to feel those glutes and shoulders burning as you scuttle your way to new fitness levels.
How To Do The Crab Walk
- Step 1: Bend your knees and put your feet flat on the ground about hip-width apart. Place both hands behind your back with the palms facing down.
- Step 2: Raise your bottom so that only your hands and feet touch the ground.
- Step 3: Lift your hips off the ground and take a step forward with your left foot and right hand. Do this again with the other foot and hand to walk forward or backward.
Notes on the Crab Walk:A good rule of thumb is to keep your hands and feet as close to your body as possible. Some people try to reach their hands too far behind them, and that makes the movement much harder and less stable. Another idea to keep in mind is that you want your shoulders away from your ears. In other words, you want to pull your shoulders down and back. This will also help keep your butt off the ground. Since this movement has you supporting your weight on your hands, wrist pain might be an issue. If so, check out our guide for building
- Straight arms, bent legs, and moving forward and backward are the basics of the crab walk.
- Crab Underswitch To Table Top: arms straight, legs bent, and core rotated to the side of the table.
- For crab lateral walks, keep your arms straight and your legs bent. Move your legs from side to side.
- To get to the table top position, the crab walks with its legs bent and its arms straight. It moves its body forward and backward and rotates its core.
[textbox] We want you to know that these are not to be seen as traditional “progressions” in the sense that one movement is harder than the other. [/textbox] Depending on your level of ability, one variation may come easier than another one, so we recommend you work on a variation you can do with
Crabs do walk sideways
What is a crab walk and how does it work?
The crab walk is a full-body crawling exercise that helps build joint strength, core stability, functional strength, and power. It also functions to improve your proprioception, which in turn helps improve posture, coordination, and balance. This exercise is done by crawling on your hands and feet with your body facing up toward the ceiling.
What muscles does a crab walk work?
The Crab Walk is an excellent full-body exercise that particularly works the upper arms, shoulders, upper legs, and core. The Crab Walk is excellent for toning, effectively targeting all your muscle groups and working them hard to build strength. How do I properly perform the Crab Walk?
How do you do a crab walk?
It’s a static move that starts in the usual crab position. Try doing a set of crab crossover toe touches and then transition into forward and backward crab walks. Sit on the floor with your legs bent and feet flat. Place your hands on the floor slightly behind your hips, fingers pointing forward.
Are crab walks a good exercise?
While crab walks are a mostly beneficial exercise, there are also a few drawbacks to consider: Hard on the wrists – you’ll need to support your weight on bent wrists when you do crab walks. This may be uncomfortable, especially if you have tight forearms or a history of carpal tunnel syndrome or repetitive strain injuries (RSI).