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Jungle Gym Moving Like Animals Can Wildly Improve Fitness by Debra Melani
F
itness seekers across the country are fi nding their wild sides by crouching like cougars, leaping like leopards and crawling like crabs. Although it might seem like they’ve let silliness encroach on their fi tness goals, these adventurous types might be on the right track, realizing more of the rippled muscles and exceptional agility of our four-legged complements. “It’s getting people back into their
own bodies,” says Mike Fitch, creator of Animal Flow, one of several fi tness programs offered in health clubs around the country that enable participants to make the most of their inner beast. “People are tired of being injured and doing the same old workouts. They need a more well-rounded, holistic approach to their health.” Fitch, founder of Global Bodyweight Training, in Miami, Florida, incorporates fl uid movement (including parkour, break dancing and gymnastics) in his routines. Animal-related workouts are proving to be a fun form of natural bodyweight training—named a top fi tness trend for 2013 by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). Men and women are mimicking animals to attain stronger,
34 Central Florida natural awakenings
leaner and more agile bodies that perform better in life. Whether building arm strength by swinging their lower bodies sideways, feet-to-hands, like a gorilla, or toning thigh muscles by stalking forward inches from the ground like a panther, animal workout converts are toning their bodies in challenging ways without the use of heavy weights or equipment. “The bear crawl is another good example,” advises David Nordmark, author of Animal Workouts: Animal Movement Based Bodyweight Training for Everyone. With hands and feet on the ground and rear end raised in the air, the bear crawl involves scrambling quickly forward and backward—a popular high school football and karate agility drill for years. He contends, “Even if you think you are in shape and do it for a minute, you’ll be amazed at how much more of a workout your arms get.”
Neal Pire, a New Jersey-based strength trainer and ACSM fellow, agrees the movements are intense and strength building, but wonders if an evolved, two-legged animal is meant to mimic four-legged species. “It’s a very tough workout,” says Pire. “You’re
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