What Exactly is Animal Flow?
Imagine moving with the grace of a cat, the power of a gorilla, and the stability of a crab. That’s the spirit of Animal Flow. It's not yoga or a traditional workout; it’s a ground-based movement system that uses your own bodyweight to improve strength,
mobility, and coordination. Created by fitness expert Mike Fitch, the practice is built around quadrupedal movements—moving on all fours—to reconnect us with our body's natural patterns. Unlike workouts that isolate muscles, Animal Flow integrates your entire body into every motion. It’s a dynamic, flowing practice that feels more like play than a chore, making it a fun and engaging way to build a more resilient and capable body.
The Science of Healthy Joints
Our modern, often sedentary, lifestyles can be tough on our joints. Sitting for long hours can lead to stiffness, reduced mobility, and weakness in the supporting muscles. Animal Flow directly counters this. By moving your joints through their full range of motion, you encourage the production of synovial fluid, which acts as a natural lubricant for your cartilage. This helps reduce friction and keeps joints moving smoothly. The practice also builds stability by strengthening the small muscles around the joints—like those in your wrists, shoulders, and hips. Because it’s a low-impact activity, it puts minimal stress on the joints while delivering maximum benefits for mobility and strength, making it an excellent choice for long-term joint health.
Warm-Up: Wrist Mobilisation (2 Mins)
Since you'll be on your hands, preparing your wrists is non-negotiable. Start on your hands and knees with your fingers spread wide and palms flat on the floor, directly under your shoulders. 1. **Forward and Backward Rocks:** Gently rock your body forward, bringing your shoulders slightly past your wrists, then rock back, sitting your hips toward your heels to stretch the wrists in the opposite direction. Repeat 10 times. 2. **Side-to-Side Rocks:** Return to the neutral position and gently rock your weight from your left hand to your right hand. Feel the pressure shift across your palms. Repeat 10 times. 3. **Finger Lifts:** With palms still flat, try to lift each finger off the floor one at a time, without lifting your palm. This builds hand strength and control.
The Flow Part 1: Beast and Crab Reach (4 Mins)
This sequence opens up the hips and shoulders while challenging your core. 1. **Start in Static Beast:** From your hands-and-knees position, tuck your toes and lift your knees about an inch off the floor. Your back should be flat, like a tabletop. This is Static Beast. Hold for 10 seconds. 2. **Transition to Crab:** From Static Beast, lift your right leg and left arm simultaneously. Pivot on your left foot as you bring your right leg through the space underneath your body, placing it flat on the floor. Sit your hips down and plant your left hand behind you. You are now in a Crab position, facing the ceiling. 3. **Perform a Crab Reach:** Ground through your feet and lift your hips toward the ceiling. Reach your right arm up and over your head, looking towards your grounded left hand. Feel the stretch along the side of your body. Lower your hips back down. 4. **Return to Beast:** Reverse the movement. Lift your hips, bring your right arm back down, and thread your right leg back under your body to return to the Static Beast position. Repeat on the other side. Alternate sides slowly for the full four minutes.
The Flow Part 2: Underswitch and Ape Reach (4 Mins)
This transition improves coordination and mobilises the thoracic (upper) spine. 1. **Start in Static Beast:** Again, find your strong Beast position with knees hovering just off the floor. 2. **Perform an Underswitch:** This is the key transition. Lift your left leg and right arm off the floor. As you do, rotate your body towards your grounded left arm, bringing your lifted left leg underneath you to land in a deep squat position. You should be low to the ground, balanced on the balls of your feet. This is a variation of the Static Ape position. 3. **Perform an Ape Reach:** From your deep squat, plant your left hand on the floor for stability. Reach your right arm up towards the ceiling, twisting your upper body and opening your chest. Follow your hand with your gaze. Bring the arm back down. 4. **Return to Beast:** Place both hands on the floor in front of you and hop your feet back to return to the Static Beast position. Repeat the sequence on the other side, lifting the right leg and left arm. Continue alternating sides for four minutes, focusing on smooth, controlled transitions.
