Exercise Spotlight: Lateral Crawls

Periodically, I will highlight an exercise that you can add to your own exercise aresenal. And today I want to talk about the Lateral Crawl. This is one of the dozens of variations of crawling exercises. This one moves you from side to side (laterally) in an upward push-up position.  And just because your baby can do the key movements in this exercise doesn't mean that it's easy. Lateral Crawls are featured in one of the workouts below, and you will feel the burn. Lateral Crawls will: 

• Strengthen the muscles in your arms, chest, and core with support from your legs. 

• Improve your body's proprioception. More to come on this big fitness word in a minute, but practically, Lateral Crawls will:

  • Improve stabilization in your shoulders, core, and legs.

  • Improve balance through full-body, lateral motions.

  • Improve coordination through synchronous movements between your arms and feet.

Per usual, my daughter joined in on the exercise fun. We are still working on her form. 

(Link to Laymansfitness Video Page)

LF How to do a Lateral Crawl

LF_How to do Lateral Crawls (ft. my 3-year old)

Fit Tip: Proprioception

Stability, balance, and coordination are all key concepts in what's called

proprioception,

which is your sense of your body's movement. Lateral Crawls are one of the hundreds of exercises that work to improve and strengthen your body's proprioception.

This is the phenomenon that occurs when your nervous system works with your musculoskeletal system to adapt to external stimuli and move. Strengthening this connection between your nervous and musculoskeletal system, or your brain and body, is a critical component of any early stage of a fitness program.

A helpful analogy for proprioception is spiritual

discernment

. As you mature spiritually, you will become more aware of your own sin, your own tendencies, external temptations, the incredible truths in God's Word, and all of His majestic glories. This maturity brings a type of

discernment

that allows you to 'move' with more wisdom in your Christian walk, navigate temptations, endure trials longer, and grow spiritually stronger. And you should never stop growing in spiritual discernment, no matter where you are in your sanctification journey.

The same thing happens with your body through strengthening proprioception. Your body's ability to adapt and respond to external stimuli through movement improves, which will ultimately allow you to do harder exercises, bear more weight, and endure longer workouts. And no matter how fit you are, you should never stop strengthening your proprioception.

This is why exercise programs need to start participants with a focus on proprioception through the exercise selection. I've designed Phase I of the 

LF 12 Week Program

with this in mind. Participants will move through progressively more challenging proprioceptive exercises, which lays the foundation for Phases II and III.