To do a bear crawl, get on all fours with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips, lift your knees a few centimetres off the floor, then crawl forwards by moving your opposite hand and foot at the same time. If moving feels like too much at first, start by simply holding the hover, known as a bear hold.

The bear crawl looks like something from a playground, but it is a proper full-body exercise that turns up in HIIT circuits, warm-ups and bootcamp classes. This guide, part of our series on doing the big movements properly, covers the cues, easier versions, a 4-week plan and how it fits a week of running.

What muscles does a bear crawl work?

A bear crawl works a lot of you at once. Your abs and obliques (the muscles down your sides) do much of the work, stopping your back from sagging and your hips from twisting each time a hand and foot leave the floor. Your shoulders, chest and triceps (the backs of your arms) carry a large share of your body weight, and your quads (the fronts of your thighs), hip flexors and glutes work hard to hold that bent-knee hover.

It is also a coordination exercise. Moving your opposite arm and leg together is the same basic pattern you use when you walk, and it loosely mirrors the way your arms and legs swing when you run. Longer rounds also raise your heart rate, which is why it is a HIIT favourite.

How do you do a bear crawl with good form?

Set up carefully before you move anywhere. Run through these cues every time.

• Hands. Place them directly under your shoulders, fingers spread.
• Knees and feet. Put your knees under your hips, hip-width apart, with your toes tucked under.
• Back. Make your back flat like a tabletop, with your head in line with your spine. Look at the floor just ahead of your hands.
• Brace. Tighten your stomach as if about to be poked in the belly and draw your ribs down, so your lower back does not dip.
• Hover. Press into your hands and toes and lift your knees just a few centimetres off the floor. Keep your hips at about shoulder height, not up in the air.
• Move. Step your right hand and left foot forward together, a short step of about a hand's length. Then do the same with your left hand and right foot.
• Stay level. Imagine a cup of tea balanced on your lower back. Your job is not to spill it.
• Breathe. Breathe steadily. If you have to hold your breath, slow down.

Tip: film a set from the side. If your bum is the highest point of your body, you have drifted into a walking downward dog, which is easier and takes most of the work away from your core.

What are the easier versions of the bear crawl?

Two dials make the bear crawl easier or harder: how long you hover, and how much you move. Pick the rung that lets you keep a flat back and low knees, then climb. If holding your body still is the hard part, build that first with our beginner's guide to doing a plank properly.

• Rung 1: Bear hold. Set up on all fours, lift your knees a few centimetres and hold still for 10 to 20 seconds. Lower your knees, rest and repeat.
• Rung 2: Bear hold with shoulder taps. From the hold, lift one hand to tap the opposite shoulder, put it back down, then swap. Your hips should barely move.
• Rung 3: Forward and back crawl. Crawl four small steps forwards, then four steps backwards, or about 3 to 5 metres each way.
• Rung 4: Sideways crawl. Step your right hand and right foot out to the side, then bring your left hand and left foot in to follow. Go a few steps one way, then come back. Keep your knees low and your hips level.
• Rung 5: Longer crawls in every direction. Combine forwards, sideways and backwards in one set, or crawl for 30 to 45 seconds at a time. Slowing each step right down makes it harder again.

Move up a rung when you can do 3 rounds of 20 to 30 seconds with your back flat and your knees low. If your wrists complain, try resting on your knuckles, holding push-up handles or dumbbells, or using a folded mat. If pain does not settle, stop and get it checked.

How fast should you do a bear crawl?

Slowly, at least to begin with. Rushing usually means bigger steps, higher hips and a body that rocks from side to side, which takes the work away from your core. In a strength session, crawl as if you are sneaking up on someone. In a HIIT session you can pick up the pace a little, but if your form breaks mid-round, slow down rather than stopping. A slow, tidy crawl still does the job.

What are the most common bear crawl mistakes, and how do you fix them?

• Hips too high. Your bum rises and your legs straighten. Lower your hips and bring your knees back to just off the floor.
• Back sagging. Your lower back dips towards the floor. Brace your stomach, push the floor away and drop back a rung.
• Hips swaying. Your body rocks side to side. Take smaller steps, about a hand's length, go slower and remember the cup of tea.
• Same-side hand and foot. Your right hand and right foot move forwards together. Reset, and repeat right hand, left foot in your head for the first few steps.
• Looking up. Craning your neck to see where you are going strains it. Look at the floor just ahead of your hands and check your path before you start.
• Holding your breath. Breathe steadily throughout. If you cannot, the round is too long or too fast for now.

How many sets and reps of bear crawls should you do?

Bear crawls are usually done for time or distance rather than counted. A rough guide:

• Starting out. 3 to 4 bear holds of 10 to 20 seconds, with 40 to 45 seconds of rest between them.
• Building up. 3 to 4 rounds of 20 to 30 seconds of crawling, or about 5 metres out and back, with 40 to 60 seconds of rest.
• In a warm-up. 1 or 2 easy crawls of about 5 metres each way before a strength or HIIT session.
• How often. 2 to 3 times a week is plenty, usually as part of a HIIT, core or strength session.

What does a 4-week bear crawl plan look like?

Follow this plan three times a week with a day off in between, after a short warm-up. If a week feels too hard, repeat it.

By week 4 you should manage 30 seconds of crawling without your hips rising or swaying. If not, stay on the bear hold with shoulder taps for another week or two. That is completely normal.

How do you use bear crawls in a HIIT circuit?

Here is a simple beginner circuit. Do each move for 30 seconds with 15 seconds of rest between moves, rest for 60 seconds at the end of the round, and complete 3 rounds after a 5-minute warm-up.

• Bodyweight squats.
• Bear crawl, forward and back, or a bear hold if you are still on rung 1 or 2.
• Glute bridges.
• Mountain climbers, as slow step-ins if you need to.

Bear crawls and mountain climbers both put weight through your hands and shoulders, which is why glute bridges sit between them as a breather for your arms. If your shoulders start to sink, drop to an easier version. Our guide to how to do mountain climbers has easier options, and if you want a longer session to follow, try our 20-minute HIIT workout at home.

How do bear crawls fit into a hybrid week with running?

Easily. They need no kit and little time, and because they lean on your core and shoulders, a few slow rounds rarely leave your legs heavy for the next run. A hard HIIT circuit is different, so count it as one of your harder days, not an extra on top of a speed session.

A simple week could look like this:

• Monday. Strength session, with 2 easy bear crawls in the warm-up.
• Tuesday. Easy run.
• Wednesday. HIIT circuit that includes bear crawls.
• Thursday. Easy run.
• Friday. Strength session, finishing with 3 bear holds.
• Saturday. Rest or a walk.
• Sunday. Long run.

At Edge we treat running, strength and HIIT as one plan rather than three separate ones, so sessions like this sit alongside your runs instead of competing with them. Edge is free to use and has 20,000+ members. Edge Pro, from £19.99 a month with a free 7-day trial (a card is needed to start it), gives you a fully personalised plan across running, strength, HIIT and mobility, ready within 24 hours, with a real coach to message anytime if you are not sure which rung to be on.

This article is general guidance, not medical advice. If you are new to exercise, returning from injury, or managing a health condition, speak to your GP before starting, and see a physio for any niggle that does not settle.