by GRP Rower Sophie Calabrese

Many movements in life are based around keeping your core braced while moving through strange positions. I threw my back out while rowing in college and could barely bend over to pick my bag up off the floor or reach overhead to get a plate out of the cabinet. I added core stabilization exercises, like the tabletop crawl, to my routine and have been enjoying an immensely healthier and happier back ever since. 

When it comes to core training, most people think of crunches and sit ups. While these movements do train the abs, they’re missing the other muscles that make up the rest of your core. Today, we’re discussing an under-utilized core exercise that engages all of your other core muscles as well as the abs.

The Core

Think of your core like a can. The front of it is what we all know as the abs or six-pack. Underneath, or behind your abs (think of it as being “between” your belly button and your spine), is a muscle called the transversus abdominis (TVA). The TVA wraps all the way around to your back, acting like a natural corset. The sides of the “can” are composed of your obliques (internal and external). The abs, TVA, and obliques work together to stabilize your spine and protect your back.

Many core stabilization exercises call for static rather than dynamic movements to get you to practice bracing and holding any one position. That’s where other exercises, like the tabletop crawl are different! The biggest difference with tabletop crawls is that once you’re braced, you then have to move and coordinate your body while maintaining core pressure. No easy feat!

The Move

The tabletop crawl involves moving on all fours while maintaining a stable, table-like position. Your hands and feet make contact with the ground while your knees are raised off the ground. As you crawl forward, you alternate your legs and arms, challenging your core to stabilize you throughout the movement.

Starting position: Start on your hands and knees with your knees under your hips and your hands under your shoulders.

Brace your core: Pull your belly button to your spine (engaging your abs) and squeeze your pelvis in (engaging your TVA). This should create a perfectly flat back rather than a sagging or rounded one.

Maintain: Memorize and then maintain this position throughout the duration of your crawling!

Move: Lift your knees an inch off the ground. Move your right hand and left foot forward simultaneously, followed by your left hand and right foot. Aim for a smooth, controlled motion.

The most important focus is to limit hip movement as much as possible. Unless you’re braced correctly they’re going to wiggle side to side as you move forward. The only thing that should be moving is your arms and legs!

Watch this video to see what this looks like in action.

Implementation and Variations

When adding tabletop crawls into your routines, you can measure them with either distance or time (or both, if you’re extra competitive!). Start with 3 sets of 30 seconds or 3 sets of 15 yards and increase the time/distance from there as you get stronger. If you find that moving an arm and leg forward together is too much and your hips start moving, then you can modify it to moving either one hand or one leg at a time. 

If you find that these are too easy, then you can spice it up with a couple of variations! The first is to do a tabletop crawl in reverse, where you travel backwards. This variation has the added benefit of targeting your serratus, which can help with rib injury prevention. Another variation is crawling side-to-side rather than forwards/backwards.

I highly encourage you to incorporate more crawling movements like these in their exercise routines. Happy crawling!