My nine-month old baby boy moves better than I do!
My little guy has given me a new appreciation for how the human body develops and how it is supposed to move. Babies are not burdened with the high stress jobs, excessive sitting, TV, driving, and studying that have conspired to mold us into functional hunchbacks, with our head jutting forward, locked hips, tight back and diminished strength.
As babies explore the world around them, they are constantly moving. As they get older, they become more and more mobile. It seems like all I do is chase around my baby! But this trend often reverses once they hit school age. School-aged kids used to be exposed to hours of free play, but increasingly they are regimented into a world of achievement and sitting. The incessant testing in schools begins as early as kindergarten, and the insane competition to get into the right college is creating a stressed out generation of sedentary, miniature adults!
By going back to the way a baby moves at nine months old, children can get back in touch with how their body developed with optimal, full ranges of motion.
Here are my favorite 3 exercises my baby taught me to start doing again, along with a few variations totaling 6 cool baby moves. And, oh, by the way –parents, teachers, coaches, and all ADULTS – you need to do these too!
1. Cobra to Superman
When he was about two months old, we started implementing more and more tummy time. This was simply a few brief moments on his tummy each day to strengthen his neck and create extension in his spine. At first he rebelled (e.g. cried). After all, his head was enormous and heavy compared to the rest of his body! But over time, the need to see, touch, hear, and perceive the world led to that large head staying up longer and longer. Eventually he was doing a full, pretty impressive cobra position that any yogi would envy. The extension in his back was not hinging from his lumbar spine as it does in adults and many children. Rather, it curved beautifully through his thoracic spine. He eventually held this position for what seemed like forever. For an adult, that would be a superhuman feat of strength and endurance, especially considering the relatively larger head that infants have to hoist up.
Once Baby Boy mastered the cobra, it was time to show off! At this point, he decided to throw his arms back like the superhero he will one day be. He would alternate a cobra pose with a superman over and over again. I actually started to have my clients do this baby inspired exercise, which alternated thoracic extension mobility with thoracic extension strength. This is the perfect antidote to hours at a desk.
Try this: Have the kids start in a cobra position, switch to Superman, and then back to cobra.
2. Rolling back to front and front to back
My son’s first roll was from his cobra position. He leaned to the side and ended up on his back. He soon began to roll on his own by leading with his head as his eyes ears, or nose, sensed something he wanted. He couldn’t crawl yet, so rolling became his form of locomotion. He was next able to roll from his back to his tummy, leading with his head, arms, or legs. This segmented roll is a perfect example of the kind of movement kids and adults need in order to eventually throw or swing a bat or racket. Rolling is also a great way to stimulate the vestibular system and improve balance.
Try this: Have them do a roll leading with the arms only; then the legs only. Then call out a number and have them roll that many times both directions any way they want.
3. Crawling: army crawl, knee crawl, bear crawl… any crawl!
My son reached a point where using rolling as a primary form of transportation wasn’t cutting it anymore. He wanted to move more efficiently! He started with the army crawl, using a perfect contralateral pattern –with the right elbow coming up as the left knee came up along the floor. Loving the hip mobility! Next, he started to do the classic knee crawl. It was so traumatic for him the first time that he cried the whole time he crawled. After a week or so, he was tearing through the house on all fours, easily changing direction and getting into everything! Now, he’s gotten creative with his crawls. My favorite is the bear crawl/knee crawl combo. He crawls with one knee on the floor and the other knee off! Walking is not far off!
Try this: Have the kids start with army crawls under hurdles, then bear crawls around cones.
I can’t wait to see what Ari has in store for me in the next 9 months! Try these moves out yourself, then get the kids doing them to reinforce foundational movement patterns that will translate to better coordination, posture, and core control. Here’s a circuit you can try that combines all three:
- 2 Cobras to Superman (10 seconds each)
- Roll right 4 times then left 4 times
- Crawl forward, sideways and backward on command (each direction twice)
Craig Valency, MA, CSCS, president and co-founder of SPIDERfit, has been a personal trainer for the last 11 years. He is currently working at Fitness Quest 10 in San Diego, an elite personal training and athletic conditioning facility. He specializes in youth strength and conditioning programs that promote physical literacy, injury prevention and optimal performance. Along with training youths from 6 to 18 years of age for general fitness, Craig has also worked with some of the top junior tennis players in the world. He has been a physical education consultant for the Stevens Point school district in Wisconsin for the last 3 years, helping revamp the district wide programming for the K-12 PE curriculum. Craig earned his bachelor degree from UCLA, and Masters Degree in Kinesiology from San Diego State University.
Very cute