Mobility · Baseline Mobility
Bear Crawl Hold
Core stability, shoulder endurance, breathing under tension
Minimum Effective Dose
30s
The shortest time that still creates real, measurable change. Hit the dose and the benefit starts. Everything after is bonus.
Why it works
The bear crawl hold loads your core, shoulders, and hips simultaneously while demanding you maintain a neutral spine. The key challenge is breathing normally while under isometric load.
How to do it
Knees hover.
Hands under shoulders, knees under hips. Breathe. Don't hold your breath.
- Start on all fours, hands under shoulders, knees under hips
- Lift your knees 1-2 inches off the floor
- Hold this position while breathing normally
- Don't hold your breath, because that defeats the purpose
Variants
Easier
Knees touch the floor between holds.
Hold for 5 seconds, rest knees, repeat.
Harder
Hold longer. Add slow movement.
Crawl forward 4 steps, back 4 steps. Knees stay hovering.
Related exercises
Pair with breathwork
Wind down after your session with a Shift breathwork protocol.