Wildest Fitness Trend is Jumping Like Bunny…

Many of us have felt hemmed in and are sitting too much, especially in the work-from-home pandemic era, and have decided it’s time to start monkeying around and exercise in a more primitive way. According to the Pinterest Predicts 2023 report, “primal movement” is the fitness trend of the year.

“Animal Flow Community Groups” have popped up in cities from Buffalo to Miami to Phoenix. “When was the last time you played like an animal?” asks a post on the Facebook page of the Atlanta Animal Flow group. 

 Fitness bloggers and researchers are also touting it, though one notes you may have “initial anxiety about being a grown-up doing Bunny Hops.”

Ground moves such as crawling, rolling, squatting and kneeling, also involve transferring weight and controlling the center of gravity with balance, which we need to efficiently get around in daily life and avoid being dog tired. The workouts require minimal or no equipment, which makes sense since animals have none.

These newer classes draw on elements of established practices such as MovNat (an abbreviation for “move naturally”) and Animal Flow.

Crawling around the gym may sound batty. But many common core exercises are modified versions of crawling, says Bradly Prigge, a wellness-exercise specialist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. He has had formal training in MovNat.

“If you are one of the many adults that rarely gets down onto the ground, you might notice that you have lost flexibility in your toes, ankles, knees, hips and shoulders,” he says.  That’s enough to make anyone crabby.

The animal-inspired exercises are part of Donna Henrikson’s workout. She calls them just as challenging as her dead lifts and kettlebell swings. The 64-year-old family physician in Toronto learned them from Freyja Spence, a personal trainer and one of 25 Animal Flow master instructors worldwide.

Ms. Spence incorporates maneuvers such as crab reach, where one moves from a reverse tabletop pose into a one-armed backbend by extending the hips. Ms. Henrikson likes that the practice can be done on the road—and moving like a crab also counteracts long periods of sitting.

Ms. Henrikson has practiced yoga, but feels Animal Flow challenges her core and balance more. The discipline can resemble yoga crossed with breakdancing. “Some flows can last four minutes, and recalling the sequences helps with cognitive function as I age,” she adds.

Earlier versions of the genre emerged just over decade ago alongside other caveman-esque trends, including barefoot running and the Paleo diet

Images of Erwan Le Corre, the French founder of MovNat, doing calisthenics such as climbing barefoot up trees, grabbed media attention. Mike Fitch, the American creator of Animal Flow, based in Boulder, Colo., recalls performing crab-reach shirtless with chiseled abs for the cameras.

“We were on every fitness trend list for years, but ultimately got written off as a fad,” Mr. Fitch says. 

Mr. Le Corre believes the best way to get fit is by running, carrying, throwing, jumping and performing other basics.

“Targeting muscle groups on weight machines in a gym doesn’t develop real functional fitness,” says Mr. Le Corre, who is based in Santa Fe, N.M.

While the practices didn’t immediately go mainstream, they did attract acolytes who went on to become certified trainers. These teachers are now sprinkling a touch of the jungle into everything from physical therapy to group fitness classes at chain gyms.

Fitness instructor Jessie Syfko drew on Animal Flow to develop MB360, a class that made its debut at the Life Time athletic-club chain in 2022. The class begins and ends with primal moves such as crawling like a bear. (If it’s confusing just follow your Yogi instructor.)

“Because they’re fun and even a little silly, it’s almost like tricking people into moving with more freedom,” she says.

The chain offers classes in Minnesota, Texas and New York and plans to roll it out nationwide by year’s end.

In January, gym chain Crunch Fitness introduced Ground Level, a 30-minute class with movements modeled after creatures ranging from crouching tigers (sorry, no hidden dragon) to kicking donkeys.

Donna Shimcock, 59, has added it to her repertoire of yoga and weight training.

“I like that it’s playful, but it’s also given me more confidence in how I move throughout the day,” says Ms. Shimcock, a job coach for people with disabilities in St. Petersburg, Fla. 

Amy Beacom, a sports-medicine physician at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, says the key to the growth of these exercises is their accessibility. The beginning levels are approachable and the moves can be done in the comfort of your own kingdom.

“Anyone can do it and you can do it anywhere,” she says.

Those recovering from injuries and looking for a way to regain strength and endurance, or those who are older and trying to prevent falls can also benefit, she says.

Two to three days a week, Lynn Asbury, 72, participates in intermediate moves, and attempts to walk forward, backward and sideways across a gymnastics-like balance beam at a MovNat-certified studio near her home in Albuquerque, N.M.

“I recently got my carpet replaced and I was able to move all of my furniture myself,” she says.

In class, Ms. Asbury jumps onto boxes and hangs for 30 seconds from a pull-up bar. “As a kid I could cross the monkey bars with ease but I’m not quite swinging yet,” she says. “Hanging is a monumental task.”

Write to Jen Murphy at [email protected]