Prepping for Battle: You want me to move like a monkey? No ma'am, I want you to move like a human...

The first time I tell a member that we're going to crawl or roll on the floor I usually get some awkward looks.  Crawling and rolling are two of the most basic human movements, yet most adults have a very difficult time with both of them.  At least at first.  With a little coaching on technique and breathing most of them will adapt rather quickly.
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But why should we perform these movements?  Its well known that crawling is crucial for the brain development in a child. (http://www.parents.com/baby/development/crawling/7-benefits-of-crawling/)  But why should we crawl as an adult?  Actually for some of the same reasons.  As a child crawls they not only move the right and left sides of their body but they are firing the right and left hemispheres of the brain as well.  When our body moves in a contralateral pattern (Right arm/Left Leg and vice versa) it can be almost like a "reset" button for the brain. 

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Rolling is a way to take the prime movers out of the picture.  Think of prime movers as your larger muscle groups; Pecs, Lats, Quads, Hamstrings, etc.  Rolling leaves these muscles alone and actually targets the deep "core" musculature such as pelvic floor, diaphragm, internal and external obliques.  If we can get the deep muscles of the core to fire first, then our risk of injury goes way down.  Think of crawling and rolling as working from the inside out.  

Crawling & Rolling:

• Increase core stability
• Increase hip and ankle mobility
• Focus on breathing patterns
• Stimulate total body motor unit activation 
• Can be progressed or regressed depending on the individual
• Can be used as assessments to find asymmetries 

So the next time your trainer asks you to do a somewhat primitive movement, realize that this is a total body exercise and is as much mental as it is physical.  Be glad your trainer is looking out for not just your core but also your brain. :)

Crawl along you beautiful humans,
Ryan Humphries
Co-Founder BushCraft CrossFit