When it comes to fitness, many of us focus on lifting weights, running, cycling, or hitting the gym. These traditional activities are great for building strength, stamina, and endurance, but they don’t always connect us to our bodies in the same way that more primal, natural movements do. What if we could tap into the movements of animals and use them to improve our mobility, flexibility, and overall strength? This is where Animal Flow comes in—a unique, ground-based movement practice that incorporates the fluidity and grace of animals to help improve functional fitness, coordination, and strength.
Animal Flow is a playful yet powerful fitness practice that encourages you to move like an animal—on all fours, rolling, squatting, and crawling—allowing you to reconnect with your body in ways that traditional exercises might not. Whether you’re looking to improve your strength, mobility, flexibility, or simply want a fun and challenging workout, Animal Flow has something to offer.
In this article, we’ll dive into what Animal Flow is, the benefits of incorporating animal-inspired movements into your fitness routine, and how to start practicing these movements today. We’ll also break down some basic Animal Flow moves that you can try at home, and we’ll explore how this practice can translate to improved mobility and functional strength in your daily life.
Introduction: What is Animal Flow and Why Should You Try It?
Animal Flow is a ground-based movement practice that blends elements of gymnastics, parkour, and breakdancing, all inspired by the natural movements of animals. This unique workout challenges your body to move in ways that mimic the flow and agility of animals in the wild, helping to improve strength, flexibility, mobility, and coordination. The beauty of Animal Flow is that it doesn’t require any equipment. All you need is your body and the ground beneath you to get started.
The practice was created by Mike Fitch, a fitness professional who wanted to develop a method that combined bodyweight training with fluid, dynamic movement. By integrating both static and dynamic movements, Animal Flow encourages not just strength, but also stability, balance, and control.
While Animal Flow may sound unconventional, it’s far more than just a fun workout. The movements are designed to enhance functional strength—meaning the kind of strength that directly translates to real-life activities. Whether you’re lifting groceries, climbing stairs, or carrying heavy objects, the mobility and strength gained through Animal Flow can improve your performance in daily life.
The Benefits of Animal Flow: Strength, Mobility, and Play
Animal Flow is unique in the sense that it provides a full-body workout, focusing on functional movements and mobility that we may not always target with traditional exercise methods. Here are some of the key benefits:
1. Enhanced Mobility
Many of the movements in Animal Flow require a significant range of motion, such as reaching, twisting, and bending. Over time, practicing these fluid movements helps to increase joint mobility and flexibility. This can help reduce stiffness and improve overall mobility, especially for people who spend a lot of time sitting or working at desks.
For example, the Crab Reach, a move inspired by the way crabs move, involves rotating and stretching the spine, which can help improve thoracic mobility and relieve tightness in the back and shoulders.
2. Increased Strength
While Animal Flow movements can look graceful and fluid, they are incredibly demanding on your muscles. Because the movements require you to control your body in various planes of motion, they help to engage multiple muscle groups simultaneously. This promotes functional strength, which translates directly to improved posture, balance, and endurance in daily life.
When you’re performing a Beast Hold (a position where you hold a suspended, four-point stance), you engage your core, shoulders, and legs all at once. This is a great way to build stability and strength in a functional way that can help you with other physical activities.
3. Improved Coordination and Body Control
Animal Flow encourages you to move your body in ways that require balance, agility, and control. This helps to improve coordination, which is essential for performing everyday tasks like walking, climbing stairs, or even dancing. These animal-inspired movements will challenge your body to be more aware of its position in space and help you develop greater control over your body.
For example, Ape is a dynamic move that mimics the way an ape moves through the trees, with deep squats, jumps, and large arm movements. Performing this move regularly helps improve your body’s ability to coordinate large movements, making activities that require coordination (like running or jumping) easier.
4. No Equipment Required
One of the best aspects of Animal Flow is that it requires no equipment. You can practice anywhere—whether you’re at home, in the park, or while traveling. The practice is centered around bodyweight movements, making it accessible to everyone, regardless of whether they have access to a gym or fitness equipment.
This makes it easy to incorporate Animal Flow into your fitness routine, as all you need is your body and some open space. Plus, it’s a great option for anyone who doesn’t enjoy traditional gym settings or prefers working out at home.
Basic Animal Flow Movements: Foundational Moves You Can Try Today
Now that you know what Animal Flow is and what benefits it provides, let’s break down a few foundational movements that are core to the practice. These basic moves can be done by beginners, but they also provide room for advanced practitioners to build strength, flexibility, and coordination over time.
1. Beast Hold
The Beast Hold is a foundational position in Animal Flow, often used to build core strength, shoulder stability, and overall body control. This move mimics a four-point stance that challenges the entire body.
How to Perform the Beast Hold:
- Start on all fours, with your hands placed directly beneath your shoulders and knees beneath your hips.
- Lift your knees off the ground so they hover about 2-3 inches above the floor, keeping your hips in line with your shoulders.
- Engage your core, keep your back flat, and maintain a neutral spine.
- Hold the position for 30-60 seconds, making sure to keep your body as still as possible.
Benefits: This move strengthens the core, shoulders, and legs, while also improving your body’s ability to stabilize itself.
2. Crab Reach
The Crab Reach is a dynamic movement that stretches the chest, shoulders, and spine while strengthening the arms, core, and glutes.
How to Perform the Crab Reach:
- Start by sitting on the floor with your knees bent and your hands behind you, fingers pointing toward your feet.
- Lift your hips into a bridge position, with your body forming a tabletop.
- Reach one arm across your body while twisting your torso and looking at your hand.
- Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
Benefits: This movement improves thoracic mobility and shoulder flexibility while also engaging the core and glutes.
3. Ape
The Ape is a dynamic squat-based movement that mimics the movement of an ape swinging through trees. It involves deep squatting, reaching, and explosive jumps.
How to Perform the Ape:
- Start in a deep squat position with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart and your toes turned out.
- Place your hands on the floor between your legs.
- Reach one hand forward and jump with your feet to bring them closer together, landing softly in a squat.
- Repeat this motion with fluidity, making sure to engage your legs and core.
Benefits: The Ape helps improve flexibility in the hips and legs, enhances strength and coordination, and encourages full-body movement.
Incorporating Animal Flow into Your Daily Life: Functional Strength for Everyday Activities
The beauty of Animal Flow is that it isn’t just about working out—it’s about developing functional strength that directly translates into your daily life. Whether you’re climbing stairs, carrying groceries, or playing with your kids, Animal Flow’s movements help enhance mobility, strength, and flexibility in ways that make everyday tasks easier.
For example, performing the Crab Reach regularly can improve your ability to twist and reach overhead, making activities like lifting objects from high shelves or reaching for things behind you more comfortable. Similarly, the Beast Hold builds core and shoulder stability, which can improve your posture and help with lifting or carrying heavy loads without straining your back.
Call to Action: Try Animal Flow and Share Your Experience
Now that you know the basics of Animal Flow and its benefits, we encourage you to try it out for yourself. Check out the tutorial video linked below to see the movements in action and get started with your own practice.
Which animal-inspired move do you find most challenging or fun? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below—whether it’s mastering the Beast Hold, jumping through the Ape move, or stretching your body with the Crab Reach. We’d love to hear how these primal movements are making a difference in your fitness journey!
