I Tried Animal Flow Workouts Every Day for a Week-Here’s What Happened

One of the most trending workouts these days is the Animal Flow. If you haven’t heard of this before, let’s explain more. It is a bodyweight training style that does not involve weights and uses just the body and the ground beneath us.

What is Animal Flow?

Mike Fitch, a fitness trainer, is the founder of Animal Flow. He was a fitness educator and movement coach. He took a keen interest in gymnastics, parkour, yoga, and breakdancing and drew inspiration from animal movements while designing Animal Flow.

The interesting part is that Animal Flow is unlike any other usual workout. It is fun, engaging, and easy, yet gives the best results. It has forms and exercises named after animals such as crabs, beasts, scorpions, and apes. The names and movements are inspired by these animals, making this the most unique exercise. Animal Flow has various familiar locomotions, yet we do not practice them at all.

Animal Flow combines bodyweight movements that are in flow rather than reps. These movements are performed on the floor. Animal Flow is a simple blend of strength training and yoga. It is the right choice if you enjoy lifting weights yet prefer restorative exercises.

According to Animal Flow, this exercise uses animal poses and has a continuous flow of movement that creates a sequence of motions. The goal here is to improve various areas of fitness.

Animal Flow is a fitness routine that emphasizes primal movements and functional fitness. It leverages both bodyweight exercises and animal-inspired movements, improving strength, flexibility, and overall wellness.

Here are a few key features of Animal Flow:

• Primal movements
  In Animal Flow, you feel encouraged to mimic animal postures.These include a panther’s crawl, a bear’s pushups, and many more.
• Functional fitness
  It encourages real-world strength by using natural body mechanics. This routine flows from one position to another while you use stabilizing muscles.
• Dynamic movement
  A flow of strength is created by combining dynamic movements with primal movements.
• Versatility
  Animal Flow can be practiced anywhere, without equipment.

My Experience: 7 Days of Animal Flow

I wanted to try this and decided to practice Animal Flow for a week. So, I booked a 30-minute slot each day to see the progress at the end of the week.

Day1: Started Slow

I decided to build a form and start slow. It is an art, so aimlessly jumping to an advanced level is not recommended. While I focused my attention on the basics, the beginner course. I continued to stick to the routine for a week. This came very handy when I finished training, and I felt a change between my first and last sessions.

I understood that ANimal Flow involves improving your quality of movement and helping you become aware of your interaction with the body throughout the day.

It involves a lot of structure and progression. It consciously connects the body, mind, and breath, improving balance, coordination, and flexibility. It also enhances proprioception and builds strength and endurance.

I endured tiredness:

I found Animal Flow very challenging. It requires a lot of energy to have reasonable control over your body through a range of motion you are not accustomed to, especially when each movement requires perfect control.

Midweek

The program had various levels and movements, ranging from beginner to advanced. Fortunately, the initial movements, such as the front step, understitch, and jumping sidekick, felt easy and fun. The entire program consists of around 75 movements, again ranging from beginner to advanced. The program level, the numerous movements, and the fun of animal-like locomotion all made me feel exhausted but excited for the coming days.

The first day was tough, but it eventually improved as I approached the end of the week.

By the end of the week: Strong and Happy

Day 7 made me feel amazing. I observed that my mobility and flexibility had improved. My hips and armstrings were more open, and my core felt strong. I felt more in tune with my body with just seven days of practice.

It was unbelievable that I enjoyed the classes for a week. I felt relaxed by the end of each class, which made me curious, so I researched a bit about how gentle repetitive movements can help with mindfulness.

Animal Flow has rhythmic motions, which are therapeutic to the nervous system. According to this study, meditative movements also aided in cognitive function.

Animal Flow has made me realize the importance of having variety in the training routine. The bonus is that it blends effortlessly with my existing routine, giving me energy, and fuels me with fun. Each movement has a different energy and helps me attain more flexibility. Going forward, I will include at least one Animal Flow exercise in my regimen. I can do it anywhere, anytime, without needing equipment.

Benefits of Animal Flow workouts:

Here are a few critical benefits of Animal Flow Exercises:

1. Increased Core and Full Body Strength:

If you observe, one common factor that binds all animals is their peculiar movement. Such movements require you to support your body weight, which is a very apt way to train strength. For example, the Traveling Crab exercise helps stabilize the shoulders, abs, back, and hips.

You can also try the Forward Moving Ape exercise, which requires jumping forward while deep squatting.

Another exercise that is great at supporting your whole body on four limbs is Traveling Beast. This requires significant strength and much effort.

2. Improved Mobility:

Form-specific stretches can enhance overall flexibility and mobility. Squatting, crouching down, or crawling positions help improve hip mobility and flexibility in the lower body.

For example, animals indulge in pandiculation rather than stretching. This is a natural way to maintain a good range of motion. It also means that you do not stretch the muscle passively but actively contact it while cautiously lengthening it.

3. Enhanced Coordination:

A few of these movements require significant skill. For example, a full scorpion requires excessive power to pull off. This can be seen in simpler animal movements like the Beast’s Activation.

As you might have initially guessed, some of these movements – such as the Full Scorpion – require a lot of coordination, agility, and power to pull off. Even simpler animal movements like the Beast Activation can help you with overall balance and coordination.

Crawling is another movement in which you depend on all four limbs, challenging your brain to coordinate well.

Animal Flow is Fun and Stress-Free

Initially, you might find it funny to mimic animal movements, but later, enjoy it. It is a playful way to include animal movements in your exercise routine. You won’t be feeling bored, you will have fun and enjoy the fluidity.

Here are some tips for getting started with Animal Flow:

• Wear Comfortable Activewear
  Opt for clothes that allow you to move freely in every direction. This will help you learn and enjoy the movements comfortably.
• Beginner-Friendly Movements:
  To start with, opt only for beginner-friendly movements. For example, each time, the practice begins and ends with wrist mobilization.
• Take a Class
  Enroll in or attend a class that is fun and motivating to start with. Join various groups to gain better knowledge of various movements with other enthusiasts and certified instructors.
• Don’t Give Up
  Giving up might seem tempting, but you must carry on.

Is Animal Flow worth the hype?

If you have less equipment yet are determined to have a variety in your training regimen? The Animal Flow is for you. It is scalable, which means it can be included in any person’s regimen, from beginner to advanced. We have every kind of move for different fitness enthusiasts. Animal flows are fun, eccentric, easy, and efficient. In my opinion, Animal Flow is worth the hype. Every fitness freak must at least experience this workout once, and they will never regret it.

My Final Call: Animal Flow is for anyone who wants to spice up their exercise routine, have fun, and learn something new!

If you are ready to take your workout to the next level and make it fantastic, then it is time to take a few minutes off and indulge in Animal Flow at least once. Try Animal Flow and share your experience in the comments below.