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Other/Mixed Swings and Crawls - The 'true' program minimum?

Other strength modalities (e.g., Clubs), mixed strength modalities (e.g., combined kettlebell and barbell), other goals (flexibility)
I dunno, gathering all the views and using a Pavelist analogy to a squat, do we have a resolution?

Everyone needs to crawl but not everyone needs to crawl heavy....
 
So Al Ciampa has some articles on “Hardening the Soldier.” He recommends crawling 100 steps (hand movement) forward and reverse as your warm up. Then some rocks/nods. 5 TGU’s and 90-150 swings. If I do the 100 steps forward and reverse with good form it takes about 6 minutes of continuous crawling. Aleks Salkin, the OS guys, Pat Flynn talk about the “gold standard for crawling” is 10 minutes. So I figure if I can “warm up” with 6 continuous minutes, then 3x5 goblet squats, 10x10 swings and 5x1 TGU in around 30 minutes. To me that’s a good workout. 3-4 days a week and the other days (2 days a week) I walk 45 minutes and then do 15 minutes of pull ups. I’d like to ruck more but I don’t have the time so a fast walk or hike up hill and pull ups are gonna work for me.
 
I would say everyone needs to crawl but also that walking is a type of crawling :)
I get my crawling info from Original Strength and they believe walking is a form of crawling. Any contra-lateral limb movement is the crawling pattern. So walking is a standing crawl and I am sticking to it ;) but of course I see what you're saying in the literal sense of "crawling".
Both crawling and walking are forms of locomotion; crawling and walking and breathing are all activities performed by people. And so on. In my opinion.

-S-
 
Crawling builds the human gait pattern.

Walking is the expression of human gait.

Sprinting is the "apex" expression of human gait.
Babies, thankfully, do not have arthritic big toe joints. I, unfortunately, do.
Would you suggest any crawling modality to accommodate?
 
Babies, thankfully, do not have arthritic big toe joints. I, unfortunately, do.
Would you suggest any crawling modality to accommodate?
I saw your post in the crawling log but it was just before getting ready for bed and I didn't have a good answer. Here is my two cents to this one:

Start with baby crawling with plantar-flexed feet (point your toes instead of curling them under your foot and crawl on hands and knees). Baby crawling might be made more intense by looping resistance bands around the wrists and/or dragging something, just like leopard crawling.

If baby crawling is not challenging enough, one alternative -for the upper body at least- is some kind of modified "plank walk." These are not really a one-to-one substitute for crawling, but combined with standing cross crawls and something like standing lunges you might be able to approximate all the movements.

Plank walks (I've never seen an official name for them) are a gymnastic exercise in which you drag your feet behind you with your arms. Place your feet or knees on top of something that will slide easily (frisbees, sliders, old socks, rags, etc). Now "walk" around using only your arms.

A full plank walk is like a plank, with full scapular protraction, posterior pelvic tilt and stiff core (the aim is to minimize side-to-side wiggle of the body), pulling oneself forward with straight arms. It's a little more awkward, but you can push with your arms to move backward as well. Modifications to work up to this (it's harder than it sounds) are pulling/pushing with two arms at a time and setting the knees down in-between pulls.
 
Plank walks

I'm gonna pass on this.

cartoon-pirate-walking-plank-260nw-715720567.jpg


It seems hard to scale in a way that allows progression and avoids injury.
 
I think, if you’re restricted by your big toe to need to drag your feet around to “crawl”, I’d likely just forego crawling and do something else.

I’ve heard TGUs are just as good as crawling, or were they better, or worse… I can’t remember now!!
It was just an option should he want something like crawling… I agree there are tons of alternatives, though I’m not sure I agree that TGUs do the same things for the body as crawling, even though they are a good exercise.
 
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