How to Do a Crab Walk

Jenessa Connor has written for Men’s Journal, Shape, Runner’s World, Oxygen and other health and fitness publications. When it comes to exercise, she’s a bit of a dabbler, but she always comes back to running, CrossFit and yoga. Follow her on Twitter.
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If you were the MVP of your “crab soccer” team in elementary school, you’re in luck — the crab walk exercise is back. Dust off those crab-walking skills and see how this old-school exercise can give you a great total-body workout.
How Do You Do the Crab Walk?
Benefits of the Crab Walk Exercise
Besides conjuring up fond memories of the playground, the crab walk exercise offers a number of fitness-related benefits:
1. It’s a total-body movement.
“The crab walk works your arms, shoulders, core, glutes, hamstrings, and quads,” says Thieme. The move engages nearly every muscle from your shoulders to your toes — so you don’t have to do as many exercises to work your whole body. Total-body movements also create a bigger oxygen demand than isolation moves, which means they burn more calories per minute. That kind of efficiency is important to anyone who’s pressed for time (i.e., all of us).
2. It’s an upper-body burner.
If your goal is to increase strength in your biceps and triceps, the crab walk exercise is a smart addition to your workout routine. While many cardio movements focus on the lower body, the crab walk exercise improves upper-body endurance — and your arms will be shaking (in a good way) long before the rest of your body.
3. No weights needed.
If you’re looking to build strength, but you don’t have easy access to weights (or you’re just not into pumping iron), animal-inspired movements like the crab walk exercise are a great option, as they use your body weight for resistance.
What Muscles Does the Crab Walk Work?
The crab walk exercise is a full-body exercise, but it’s especially taxing on the upper arms, upper legs, and the core. The crab walk exercise predominantly works the: