19 Animal Movement Exercises To Promote Functional Fitness

Did you ever imitate being an animal when you were a kid? Maybe you became a tiger pouncing on its prey, a jaguar sprinting through the grass, or a monkey climbing a tree. We tend to put away such childish things when we grow older, right?

Well, maybe not. There’s an increasingly popular fitness movement founded on mimicking animal movements. Known as the animal moves or primal movement system, it adds a whole new dimension to bodyweight training and promises some unique benefits.

As a personal trainer, I was introduced to animal movement exercises in 2018 when I met one of the movement’s founders in Melbourne, Australia. Since then, I’ve explored, experimented with, and applied many animal moves when working with my clients.

In this article, I’ll explain my 19 favorite animal movement exercises to promote functional fitness. I’ll also present an excellent HIIT Tabata animal movement workout to boost your fitness and make you a more supple human being.

19 Great Animal Movement Exercises

Walking around on all fours is not natural for modern humans. So, even though most of these exercises are pretty straightforward, it will take some time to acclimatize to them. I’ve ordered the exercises from basic to advanced to help you get used to animal movement and progressively advance as your body becomes more functional.

1. Bear Crawl
2. Rabbit Walk
3. Donkey Kick
4. Leopard Crawl
5. Cougar Stride
6. Chimpanzee Stride
7. Frog Sprawl
8. Crab Walk
9. Bucking Bronco
10. Gorilla Scrambles
11. Komodo Dragon Walk
12. Duck Walk
13. Condor Swoop
14. Flamingo Jump
15. Alligator Crawl
16. Lizard Crawl
17. Kangaroo Jump
18. Elephant Walk
19. Horse Walk

#1: Bear Crawl

The bear crawl is the most basic animal movement, requiring you to move around on all fours. Starting with this move will help you get used to putting your weight on your hands and building up your upper body strength.

How To:

1. Get on all fours. In the table-top position, your hands should be directly under your shoulders, and your arms and legs should be slightly bent.
2. Step one hand forward, then follow through with the other hand.
3. Step forward with your knees to complete the forward movement.
4. Set an initial goal of crawling for 30 seconds.
5. Take deep breaths between each forward step and concentrate on evenly balancing your weight between your hands and feet.

You’re ready to try the advanced version when you can do the bear crawl for 2 minutes without rest. This is essentially the same movement, except that you are in a slightly more upright position, allowing you to move much faster. Go as fast as you can without losing control.

#2: Rabbit Walk

A rabbit’s power is centered in its legs. So, simulating its walk will help you to develop lower body explosive power. It will also help you to increase your jumping ability, making it great for potential basketball dunkers.

How To:

1. Crouch with your feet shoulder-width apart and torso upright. Place your arms out in front of you for balance.
2. Breathe deeply while you tense your abdominal muscles to protect your lower back.
3. Jump upward and forward. Do not jump as hard as you can.
4. When you land, pause and regain your balance, then jump again.

Once you can continue jumping for 100 yards, challenge yourself by jumping as far forward as possible on each jump.

#3: Donkey Kick

If you’ve ever had the misfortune of being kicked by a donkey, you know how powerful that animal is. The main benefit of the donkey kick is to develop spatial awareness with your feet off the ground while also developing upper body strength.

How To:

1. Get down in a half squat position with your hands shoulder-width apart on the ground and your knees slightly bent.
2. Shift your body weight into your hands.
3. Kick your legs up slightly off the ground. Keep your heels close to your butt.
4. Drop your feet back to the starting position. Your hands should remain in the same place the whole time.

Note: Keep your feet together as you kick your feet into the air.

#4: Leopard Crawl

The leopard is known for its suppleness, powerful, and smooth movements. This exercise will develop your endurance, stamina, and upper body strength.

How To:

1. Get down on all fours with your hands and feet on the ground. Stay close to the ground with your legs and arms slightly bent.
2. Remember that you are a leopard stalking its prey. Try to keep your butt down while maintaining the crouch position.
3. Start to crawl forward. Don’t let your arms or elbows flail out to the side.
4. Keep them close to your body. Your legs should never be completely straight. They should always be slightly cocked like pistons.
5. As you bring your leg forward, your knee should come just to the outside of your elbow. 
6. Breathe deeply through your nose as you perform the crawl forward.
7. Reverse direction and crawl backward to your starting position.

Once you can do the leopard crawl for two minutes straight, make it more challenging by adding a push-up after every third crawl. Once you can keep this up for two minutes, step it up to a push-up after every crawl.

#5: Cougar Stride

The cougar has tremendous sprinting and leaping ability, along with remarkable flexibility and agility. The cougar stride exercise will help you develop these abilities and is an incredibly effective core strengthener.

How To:

1. Get down on all fours with your hands and feet on the ground. Both your arms and legs should be slightly bent with your butt in the air.
2. Start to walk forward by bringing one arm forward. As you do so, kick the opposite leg in the air.
3. When you bring your leg down, move your other arm forward.
4. Kick the opposite leg back and repeat.
5. You have now completed one repetition.

#6: Chimpanzee Stride

This exercise simulates a chimpanzee’s distinctive side-to-side movement. It provides an awesome cardiovascular workout while also improving your agility. Concentrate on what your legs are doing to avoid toppling over.

How To:

1. Get down on all fours with your hands and feet on the ground. Both your arms and legs should be slightly bent with your butt in the air.
2. Start to walk forward by bringing one arm forward. As you do so, kick the opposite leg in the air. When you bring your leg down, move your other arm forward.
3. Kick the opposite limb back and repeat. Stretch your right leg behind and to the left of your left leg while again bringing your hands together.
4. Reverse this motion so that your left leg winds up stretched out straight behind your right leg.
5. From right to left is a single repetition. Aim for ten repetitions.

#7: Frog Sprawl

Frogs are known for their fantastic jumping ability. It’s no surprise that they have very powerful glutes and hamstrings. Simulating the frog sprawl will develop those muscles while increasing core and upper body strength.

How To:

1. Squat down so your knees are bent and your hands are on the ground before you.
2. Walk your hands forward.
3. Jump forward so that you are again squatting with both your hands and feet on the ground. Walk forward again with your hands, then jump back into a squat.
4. Jump backward and walk your hands back in. Repeat.
5. Two forward and two backward motions equal a single repetition.
6. Aim for ten reps.

#8: Crab Walk

The crab has one of the most impressive strength-to-weight ratios of any creature. Crab walk exercise helps strengthen your kinetic chain while getting you used to walking backward. Your shoulders and arms will also strengthen as a result of this movement.

How To:

1. Start in a supine position with your hands and feet on the ground. Your fingers should be pointing toward your feet.
2. Keep your core tight, and bring your butt as high as you can.
3. From this position, start walking backward. You can either walk for time or distance.
4. Breathe deeply at all times.
5. As you get used to this exercise, turn your hands so your fingers can point backward.

#9: Bucking Bronco

The bucking bronco is an energetic, cardio-enhancing move that also helps strengthen the core, chest, and back muscles.

How To:

1. Kneel with only your feet touching the ground. Your back should be straight, with your hands above your head.
2. Lean your entire body forward and bring your hands to the floor.
3. As you touch your hands to the floor, transfer the weight of your body to your hands.
4. Kick your feet slightly up into the air, keeping your feet close to your butt.
5. When your feet hit the ground, push back with your hands so that you return to the start position.
6. Aim for ten quickfire repetitions.

#10: Gorilla Scrambles

The exercise mimics a gorilla’s movement as it approaches to fight another gorilla. Because a gorilla’s arms are longer than its legs, most of its weight is centered on the upper body. This move will improve your flexibility and general stamina.

How To:

1. Get into a crouching position, leaning forward with your hands on the floor.
2. Swing both of your hands palms down to the right.
3. Once your hands are down, jump your feet to the right also.
4. Swing both of your hands to the left.
5. Jump both of your feet to the left.
6. You have now completed one repetition.
7. Aim for ten continuous reps.

#11: Komodo Dragon Walk

Native to the island of Komodo, the Komodo dragon is an extremely powerful animal. It can bring down a pig or deer with a mere swipe of its tail. Imitating its walk will improve your leg strength and overall balance.

How To:

1. Stand with your arms out to the side for balance.
2. Lunge forward with your right leg in front of your left leg. You want your right foot to hit the ground at an inward angle of 45 degrees to your body.
3. Push off with your left leg and place it in front of your right leg. Again, your left foot should hit the ground at a 45-degree angle.
4. You have now completed one rep.
5. Continue striding forward in this manner.
6. Aim for ten repetitions.

Note: Lunge forward as much as possible with each stride without losing balance.

#12: Duck Walk

Ducks are incredibly resilient creatures with a tremendous amount of stamina and endurance. This exercise will give your hips, glutes, and hamstrings a terrific workout.

How To:

1. Get down into a squat position with your arms by your sides.
2. Bend your knees as far as you can comfortably. Your legs should be wider than hip-width.
3. Bring one foot forward and start walking like a duck. Use your arms to balance and to take some pressure off your legs. When you’re walking, the trailing knee should rotate and almost touch the ground.
4. Walk as far as you can.
5. As you become stronger in this move, stop using your hands for balance and place them on your hips.
6. Begin with 10 steps and work up to two minutes of continuous duck walking.

#13: Condor Swoop

The condor is the largest flying bird in the Western Hemisphere and one of the most graceful. This exercise will help you coordinate your arms and legs to simulate the soaring action of this elegant creature.

How To:

1. Stand with your feet together and your knees bent. Your arms should be straight by your sides, with your palms turned behind you. Imagine that your arms are wings.
2. Swing your arms in front of you as you jump up and as far forward as possible. Your arms should be straight above your head at the apex of your jump.
3. Land with your knees bent and your arms in back of you. Your arms should have just completed a circular motion back to the starting point.
4. Pause for a moment and gather your breath, then repeat the motion.
5. Aim to complete ten continuous condor swoops.

#14: Flamingo Jump

The flamingo can stand on one leg for up to four hours, displaying incredible strength and balance. This jump mimics that stance, helping to develop explosive leg power, balance, and ankle stability.

How To:

1. Stand on your right leg while you hold your left leg off the ground.
2. Hold your arms out to the side for balance.
3. Bend your right leg and then jump as high as you can.
4. Land on your right leg in the same spot. Focus on maintaining your balance. Keep your stomach muscles tight so that your core is activated.

Once you can do ten flamingo jumps while maintaining your balance, move to the next level by jumping forward each time. Pause for a second or two after each jump to regain your balance and then move into your next jump, staying on one leg the whole time.

#15: Alligator Crawl

The alligator crawl is similar to the bear crawl except that your arms and legs are spread wide. This places a lot more emphasis on the shoulders, thighs, and triceps.

How To:

1. Start in the high plank position, with your arms shoulder-width apart and your palms resting on the floor, with your fingertips away from you. Your legs should be together, with just your toes resting on the floor.
2. With only your hands and feet touching the ground, begin to walk/drag forward.
3. Try to simulate an alligator walk, with your arms moving forward due to bending your body from side to side along the trunk. 
4. Bring your arms forward this way rather than moving your arms from the shoulder.
5. Take five forward steps, then turn and return to the start position.

#16: Lizard Crawl

This exercise mimics the unique crawling action of the lizard. It requires quite a lot of coordination, so be patient with yourself on this one. You will be rewarded with greater strength, flexibility, and coordination.

How To:

1. Get down in the plank position, supporting your body with your hands directly under your shoulders and your toes on the ground.
2. Engage your core and maintain a straight line from your head to your heels.
3. Take a small step forward with your right hand and bring your right foot up to the outside of your right hand.
4. Lower your body into a deep lunge position as you bring your foot forward. Your back knee should hover just above the ground, and your front knee should be positioned above your right ankle.
5. Shift your weight forward, bringing your left hand forward while moving your left foot up to the outside of your left hand.
6. Continue to crawl forward by alternating the movement of your hands and feet.
7. Aim for 10 forward crawls, then turn and return to the start position.

#17: Kangaroo Jump

The kangaroo has an incredible jumping ability. Unlike many other animals, it jumps close to the ground. This exercise mimics the low jump to develop explosive leg strength while enhancing agility, balance, and core strength.

How To:

1. Begin with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees bent at a 45-degree angle.
2. Crouch forward and hold your arms in front of your body. The further you crouch forward, the harder the exercise will be. Tighten your abdominal and lower back muscles to protect your back.
3. Jump upward and forward, and then stop to regain your balance. Crouch down again into the starting position, then repeat.
4. Work up to completing ten continuous kangaroo jumps.

#18: Elephant Walk

The elephant walk is a great movement to strengthen and enhance flexibility through the posterior chain.

How To:

1. Start in the forward fold position, with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and arms hanging down to your feet. Your back should be naturally rounded in this position.
2. Imagine that your arms are an elephant’s trunk; you will swing them from side to side as you walk backward. Concentrate on opening up the lats and hamstrings.
3. Take 10 backward steps.
4. Repeat for a total of three sets.

#19: Horse Walk

The horse walk targets the inner thighs and hips, promoting greater lower body flexibility and stability.

How To:

1. Stand with your feet a few inches wider than shoulder-width apart. Clasp your hands in front of your body and bend your knees slightly as you drop into a three-quarter squat position.
2. Move forward by advancing your left and right leg. Keep your feet out wide and maintain an upright torso in the three-quarter squat position.
3. Take five steps forward, then turn and return to the start point.

HIIT Tabata Animal Movement Workout

HIIT stands for high-intensity interval training. It is a popular cardio training method that involves short, intense bursts of effort followed by brief rest periods. There are several HIIT variants, with Tabata being the original form.

Tabata HIIT involves exercising for 20 seconds with all-out effort and resting for 10 seconds. You then do another round with the same exercise or move to another. In our case, we will be doing the following eight animal moves:

1. Bear Crawl
2. Leopard Crawl
3. Chimpanzee Stride
4. Donkey Kicks
5. Gorilla Walk
6. Alligator Crawl
7. Elephant Walk
8. Kangaroo Jump

The key to success with this workout is to go as fast as possible during your 20-second exercise bursts. You need to be pushing yourself to the limit. So, hold off doing this routine until you are confident and comfortable with each exercise. If you think one or two of these exercises are a problem for you, swap them with others from the 19 moves we’ve covered.

Wrap Up

Animal movement exercises open up a whole new exercise experience, promoting functional movement that enhances stability, agility, suppleness, and strength. So, forget your inhibitions, don’t worry what others might think, and give it a go — your body will thank you!

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