The Forgotten Exercise....Crab Walking

For an excellent cardiovascular and strength movement, try crab walks. This exercise is most commonly performed by young children in their physical education classes, but it offers so many potential benefits to you that it deserves a place in your workout too.

Not only will it challenge your balance and agility, but you'll also really work the hamstrings, glutes, abs, triceps, and shoulder muscles while doing it.

How to do this exercise:
Crab walks are done by first sitting on the ground, hands planted just behind your back and legs bent, feet on the floor.

Next, raise the hips up slightly so that only your hands and feet are now in contact with the ground. The higher you can raise your hips at this point, the more abdominal benefits you're going to see.

Once you're in this position, you then want to “walk” across the room as fast as you can. If you'd like, try creating an obstacle course to move through, as the extra turning will further work the upper body muscles.
Try to crab walk for a minute straight then rest and go at it again. Once you're really comfortable with the movement, if you want to challenge yourself further, try wearing a weight vest or belt while you do it to add extra resistance.

spice it up

The next time you're looking for something new to try during your workout, give it a try. Be patient with yourself while you learn the movement, as it will likely call for some neurological adaptations to take place initially. The day after first doing it, expect to feel a bit more muscle soreness than you're used to, because your body will be adjusting to this new movement pattern.