Lateral Bear Crawl: A Complete Guide

Quick Intro

Lateral Bear Crawl, also called the Bear Crawl Traverse, is a sideways crawling exercise performed from the bear crawl position, moving sideways by stepping the leading hand and foot out to one side and bringing the trailing hand and foot to follow, all while keeping the hips low. It’s a direction-changing alternative to Bear Crawl, using no equipment beyond open floor space.

Equipment Needed

Lateral Bear Crawl needs No Equipment at all, only enough open floor space to move sideways across. A Yoga Mat is optional, worth using on a hard floor to soften the load on the hands and feet.

Why Lateral Bear Crawl Matters

Moving sideways from an all-fours position asks the sides of the waist (obliques) and the deep core muscle wrapping the midsection (transverse abdominis) to control a frontal-plane loading pattern the forward crawl never creates, since the trunk now has to resist tipping side to side with every single step. The outer hip (gluteus medius) and the inner thigh (adductors) work together to control the leading leg’s reach and the trailing leg’s follow-through, while the muscle along the side of the ribcage (serratus anterior) and the front of the shoulder (deltoid, anterior) keep the shoulder blades stable as the arms do the equivalent sideways work. The front of the thigh (quadriceps, rectus femoris) helps manage the knee’s position throughout. Coordination is the main demand, more so than in the forward crawl, since timing four limbs through a sideways step is a more complex pattern than the simple forward alternation.

When to Do It

Lateral Bear Crawl works well as a warm-up specifically for anything involving lateral movement, such as field or court sports, since it primes the hips and shoulders for side-to-side loading in a low-risk, ground-based way before sprinting or cutting begins. It also works as a standalone coordination drill on its own, placed early in a session while the pattern is easiest to execute cleanly.

Anyone with a current hip or wrist issue should approach this carefully, since the sideways loading places sustained demand on both joints in a direction that everyday movement rarely asks for.

Getting Ready

A set of the standard forward Bear Crawl for a short distance confirms the base pattern and the knee hover are both solid before adding a sideways direction on top. A few hip circles and wrist circles loosen the joints that will handle the lateral loading.

A short, slow practice traverse of just a few steps in each direction, focused on keeping the hips square, is worth doing before committing to a longer working set.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. The setup. From the standard bear crawl position, knees hovering roughly one inch off the floor, prepare to move sideways instead of forward.

2. The lead. Step the leading hand and foot out to one side together, reaching a comfortable distance without overextending.

3. The follow. Bring the trailing hand and foot in to follow, returning to the same base width.

4. The continuation. Repeat this stepping pattern for the planned distance in one direction, then reverse and repeat traveling the other way.

How Many, How Often

Lateral Bear Crawl is dosed by distance in each direction, since the exercise is a continuous sideways traverse, not a series of discrete repetitions.

Keeping the hips square to the floor throughout matters more here than how quickly the steps come, since letting the hips twist ahead of the shoulders turns the sideways pattern into a rotated shuffle that stops training the frontal-plane control this exercise is built around.

Modifications and Variations

Lateral Bear Crawl has a single alternative, the forward pattern it builds on.

As the base version this exercise varies from, Bear Crawl moves forward rather than sideways, a somewhat simpler coordination demand and a reasonable starting point for anyone who hasn’t built a solid forward crawl yet.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Letting the hips twist ahead of the shoulders. Rotating the hips before the shoulders catch up turns the controlled sideways step into an uncontrolled pivot, undermining the frontal-plane stability this exercise is meant to build. Moving the hands and feet in sync, with the hips and shoulders staying square to each other, keeps the step a true sideways one.

Crossing one foot over the other instead of stepping and following. Crossing the feet removes the base of support this movement depends on and raises the odds of losing balance mid-step. Keeping the lead-and-follow pattern, never crossing the trailing limb over the leading one, keeps the base stable throughout.

Rushing the pace before the pattern is smooth. Moving quickly before the sideways coordination feels automatic tends to produce a sloppy, inconsistent stepping rhythm. Slowing down until the pattern feels clean in both directions is worth doing before adding speed.

After Your Set

The sideways movement raises the heart rate a modest amount, so stretching can begin shortly after finishing. A standing side bend, reaching one arm overhead and leaning away, releases the waist muscles that just controlled the frontal-plane loading. A figure-four hip stretch, ankle crossed over the opposite knee while seated, opens the outer hip that guided each lateral step.

Going Deeper

Lateral Bear Crawl works especially well as a warm-up tool for anyone training a sport with side-to-side demands, since the pattern rehearses lateral hip and shoulder control at a slow, controlled pace before faster, higher-stakes movement follows. It also pairs naturally with the standard forward crawl in the same warm-up, covering two different planes of ground-based coordination in a single short block.

Progress here tends to stall on hip control specifically, more than on raw coordination: a lifter who moves the forward crawl smoothly can still find the hips twisting the moment a sideways direction gets added, since resisting that rotation is its own separate skill. Slowing the pace down and pausing briefly between each lead-and-follow step tends to fix a twisting hip faster than simply practicing more distance at a pace that’s already breaking down.

Someone new to this exercise generally needs a session or two to find a stable, square-hipped pattern in both directions, and builds toward a faster, more athletic pace over the following few weeks as the coordination becomes automatic.

How to Know You’re Improving

1. Hips that stay square to the floor through the entire traverse, in both directions
2. A clean lead-and-follow pattern with no crossing of the feet
3. An equally smooth pattern moving both left and right
4. A faster pace held without the hips beginning to twist

Square hips held through the entire traverse, not how quickly the steps come, is what marks progress here.

Muscles Worked

• Transverse Abdominis (a deep core muscle that wraps around the torso like a corset, keeping the hips low as the body travels sideways)
• Obliques (the muscles along the sides of the waist, doing much of the work of moving the trunk laterally)
• Serratus Anterior (a muscle along the side of the ribcage, controlling the shoulder blade as each hand steps out)
• Anterior Deltoid (the front of the shoulder cap, taking the load at a sideways angle the forward crawl never uses)
• Gluteus Medius (a hip muscle on the outer side of the pelvis, pushing the leading leg out to the side)
• Adductors (the inner thigh muscles, bringing the trailing leg across to follow)
• Rectus Femoris (a muscle at the front of the thigh, holding the knee hovering through the sideways step)

FAQ

Why does this feel so much more demanding than the regular Bear Crawl? The sideways direction adds a side-to-side coordination challenge the forward crawl doesn’t ask for, so the trunk and hips have more to control on every step (see Why Lateral Bear Crawl Matters above).

Should this replace the regular Bear Crawl in a warm-up? Not necessarily replace it, but adding this alongside Bear Crawl covers both a forward and a sideways coordination pattern in the same short warm-up, which is a reasonable combination for most training goals (see Going Deeper above).

Is it normal to move faster in one direction than the other? Yes, a side-to-side difference is common, especially early on, since most people have more practice moving sideways in one direction than the other from daily life and sport. Practicing the weaker direction specifically tends to close that gap over time.

How far should a beginner move in each direction? Roughly 10 to 15 feet each way is a reasonable starting point, prioritizing square hips over covering more ground (see How Many, How Often above). Distance can build once the pattern feels equally smooth in both directions.