Categories / Functional & athletic
Animal Flow
Ground-based crawling and flowing movement.
How to start
Learn the basic ground-based moves (the beast, crab and scorpion) slowly, moving between them in a flow.
How to progress
Link moves into longer flows.
What the evidence says
Evidence: limited
We found no trials of this particular activity. It is a bodyweight movement practice. General muscle-strengthening evidence applies.
Take care: Wrists, shoulders and hips take load. Warm up and move within comfort.
Sources
12-week starter plan
Two or three short sessions a week.
Tick each week as you finish it; your ticks are saved on this device only. Repeat a week if it felt hard. Weeks 4, 8 and 12 hold steady so you can settle. This is a general plan, not medical advice.
Add reminders to your calendar
Pick your days and time. You will download a calendar file that adds 12 weeks of reminders to Google, Apple or Outlook calendar.
Calories and weekly minutes
Enter your details for a rough estimate. Based on about 4.5 METs (Typical effort for this activity (estimated)). Real figures vary by 20% or more between people.
Tips and common mistakes
Tips
- Warm up wrists.
- Move slowly.
- Link moves smoothly.
Common mistakes
- Rushing.
- Skipping warm-up.
- Ignoring wrist pain.
Kit and cost
Free Approximate UK prices.
- A mat
- Floor space
- A video or class
Frequently asked questions
Is it like yoga?
It is more dynamic and strength-focused.
Do I need to be flexible?
No.
Is it hard on wrists?
It can be. Warm up.
Good for: Flexibility Strength Balance
Compare with similar options
| Animal Flow | Functional Fitness | MovNat (Natural Movement) | Trampolining | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Typical session | 30 min × 3/wk | 45 min × 3/wk | 60 min × 2/wk | 45 min × 1/wk |
| Effort | ●●●○○ | ●●●○○ | ●●●○○ | ●●●○○ |
| Cost | Low cost | Low cost | Low cost | Moderate cost |
| Equipment | No equipment | Basic kit | No equipment | Specialist kit |
| Impact | Low impact | Low impact | Medium impact | Medium impact |
| Fitness needed | Some fitness | Any level | Some fitness | Some fitness |
| Evidence | limited | moderate | limited | limited |