Imitating animal movements in the gym is the new fitness trend in Indore

Of all the fitness trends that hit the city, animal flow exercises are probably the ‘wildest’ thing anyone has ever heard of. Fitness junkies have taken to the new trend with gorilla arms wide open. As trainers take notes from animals like bears, gorillas, frogs, spiders and even birds and reptiles –

crossfit

training gets more fun for fitness enthusiasts.

One of the primitive styles of workout i.e. without equipment, this style gets people to workout on the floor, sometimes even barefoot – walking, crawling and swinging their limbs like animals in the

jungle

.
Mike Fitch, the US-based fitness trainer who invented and popularised animal flow, says that the style is a ground-based movement program, designed to improve the function and communication of the ‘human animal’. “It looks like a combination of

gymnastics

, yoga and breakdancing, with some animals thrown in. Animal flow gives you the opportunity to train all of the different abilities of the human body, like strength, endurance, power, flexibility, balance, mobility and coordination, while most fitness modalities will only result in one or two of these attributes,” he states.

Closer home, trainers stand by his words and are incorporating these exercises into functional and crossfit training. Divyansh Dwivedi, a trainer from a gymnasium at Vijaynagar says, “The form has been quite popular in the west and is gaining ground in India now. These exercises work on the core muscles and improve flexibility and strength. They are incorporated in our crossfit training schedule,” he informs. Fitness enthusiasts also state that they have been using them in yoga. “Most of the asanas are based on animal movements, in yoga. There is the cow pose, downward dog pose, cat stretch, among others. But one holds the pose for stretches. In animal flow, there is more groundwork involved, which leads to better stamina and strength building,” shares Kumudini Patra, a 27-year-old teacher, who practices these exercises twice a week.

Besides burning a lot of calories, it is also fun for the individuals to take a break from pumping iron and lifting weights. Saumil Jain, a student who has been taking these sessions at his gym shares, “Hopping like a bunny or waddling like a duck sure adds a fun element to the whole regime. I wasn’t aware of such a routine, but when our trainer introduced it in crossfit sessions, the entire batch was filled with laughter and joy. I feel it is a fun way to achieve fitness goals.” Another member, Rupinder Singh Bhasin, who is an entrepreneur, agrees and adds, “It’s a good break from the monotony of running on the treadmill or just doing weight training. Such crossfit sessions also bring people of all ages closer as we watch each other behave like animals! It may look easy when trainers do it, but every muscle gets to work when you actually execute a duck walk or spider crawl.”

Fitness counsellor Luv Verma says that most of the movements are akin to full-body exercises. “As individuals use their own body weight around the limbs, it helps tone muscles throughout the body. One can feel the impact on the arms, shoulders, chest, back, core, calves and thighs – especially when the bear crawl, crocodile walk or scorpion moves are done,” he shares. Practitioners also point out that the animal flow routine can be carried out in the gym after a workout, or even in the comfort of one’s home. Nishtha Sewani, an MBA student affirms, “This is the USP of the workout I feel. You really don’t need a designated space, or

dumbbell

or even a mat to do these exercises. All you need is the will and motivation to sustain the regime. I have been following this for two months now, after getting personal training at the gym. I can see the difference it has made to my body.”

However, trainers also issue words of caution regarding tough movements of animal flow. Fitness trainer Nitin Sharma says, “Following these exercises might look easy, but if not done properly, one can land into trouble by pulling their muscles. Especially for movements like Scorpion turn,

crab

crawl or spider crawl, it is better to learn from an expert before trying it out by oneself. There can be serious injury to the back if it’s not executed under supervision.” Divyansh adds, “Trainers too have to undergo animal flow movement training before they train others. In fact, there are advanced certificate courses for some of the typical movements where one is taught how not to harm yourself while executing these exercises.”

Some of the popular animal flow exercises:
-

Lizard

crawl
- Bunny hop
- Duck walk
- Crab crawl
- Gorilla walk

Pictures: Arpit JoshiLocation courtesy: Golds Gym, Vijaynagar

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