The STACK Exercise of the Week will help you improve your overall sports performance—including strength, speed, conditioning and flexibility. This week we highlight the Backward Weighted Bear Crawl, an exercise that improves full-body strength.

Who’s Doing It

• Adrian Gonzalez, Boston Red Sox 1B

Muscular Benefits

• Increases back strength, specifically the lats
• Improves core and hip stability

Sports Performance Benefits

• Improving back strength and upper-body stability prepares you for baseball’s repeated throws and swings, or the rigors of other sports
• Moving through a full range of motion increases upper-body mobility so muscle tightness won’t limit your natural throwing and swinging motions
• Engaging the entire body strengthens hip and core muscles, helping to connect the lower and upper body, increasing overall power and reducing the chance of injury

Backward Weighted Bear Crawl How-To

• Assume push-up position with hands on weight plates
• Pull weight with right arm toward right foot and step back
• Perform same motion on left side
• Continue bear crawl for specified distance

Sets/Reps: 3×10 yards

Coaching Points

• Get full range of motion with each pull
• Keeps hips low and body flat
• Perform in slow, controlled fashion
• Increase distance over time

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