In 2025, Gen Z is turning the fitness world upside down — and it’s crazy. Forget sterile gyms and expensive Peloton bikes. This group is crawling, jumping and scuttling their way to fitness with animal workouts: primal moves, such as bear crawls, crab walks and frog leaps, that combine strength, agility and play. According to a 2024 Forbes Health survey, 68 percent of 18–26-year-olds now favor “animal flow” routines with animals over traditional gym sessions. Here’s what’s behind the move away from burpees and toward beast mode, and how this trend is changing fitness culture.
Why Gen Z is Going Wild: The Death of Gym Culture
Gen Z’s distaste for gyms isn’t only about cost and convenience — it’s a revolt against strict schedules. Here’s why they are choosing animal workouts:
- Cost: Gym memberships cost an average 50/month vs. 50/monthvs. 0 for backyard bear crawls.
- Mental Health: 73% of Gen Zers associate exercise with coping with stress (2024 APA Report) Fitness anxiety is diffuse with the easy approach of animal workouts.
- TikTok Fame: There are 4.2B views on #AnimalFlow videos, while influencers like @CrawlKingJax turn crab walks into viral challenges.
- Eco-Conscious: No gear = no carbon footprint.
The Science Behind Animal Workouts: More Than a Trend
According to a 2024 Journal of Functional Fitness study, animal movements:
- Engage 4x more muscles than squats or bicep curls (think: core, shoulders, glutes, and stabilizers).
- Execute Mobility Better: Bear crawls enhance wrist/hip mobility more so than yoga for 61% of subjects.
- Burn 12% More Calories: Single-limb, ground-based exercises send heart rates through the roof quicker than treadmills.
Why it works: These primal patterns reflect the way humans evolved to move — crawling, climbing and lunging — so they’re biomechanically efficient.
5 Animal Workouts Dominating 2025
These routines are all around us, from meetups at the park to college campuses:
1. Bear Crawl Sprints
- How-to: Crawl forward on hands and toes (hips high) for 30 seconds, rest 15s. Repeat 8x.
- Gen Z Hack: For added intensity, wear a weighted vest, such as GORUCK’s Tactical Line.
2. Crab Walk Soccer
- How-to: In crab position (belly up), “dribble” a yoga ball with your feet for 10 mins.
- Viral Twist: TikTok’s #CrabCupChallenge pits teams against on another.
3. Frog Leap Pyramid
- How-to: Jump forward from a squat with hands touching the ground each time. Do 1 leap, then 2, up to 10.
- Pro Tip: Get Nike’s Barefoot-Flex Shoes for more grip.
4. Scorpion Reach
- How-to: From a plank position, kick one leg up and twist torso, touch opposite foot with the leg (as if from a scorpion tail). 10 reps/side.
- Best for: Core and shoulder stability.
5. Inchworm to Spider Lunge
How-to:
- Step forward from a standing position into plank.
- Jump feet to hands and lunge sideways like a spider from plank.
- 2025 ReSpin: Sync with Whoop 6.0 to gauge heart rate variability.
How Gen Z is Making Animal Workouts Social (and Viral)
- Park Jams: Free “Animal Flow” meetups in 30-plus U.S. cities (see Meetup. com).
- Gamified Apps: With ZombieFit 2025, crab walks are transformed into a zombie-apocalypse survival game through AR.
- College Craze: UCLA’s “Crawl Club” combines animal moves with DJ sets for weekend rave-workouts.
Animal Workouts vs. Traditional Gym: A 2025 Breakdown
| Metric | Animal Workouts | Traditional Gym |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | $600+/year |
| Muscles Engaged | Full-body (87% activation) | Isolated (45% activation) |
| Mental Burnout | Low (play-focused) | High (repetitive) |
| Social Buzz | TikTok-ready | Solo grind |
3 Mistakes to Avoid with Animal Workouts
- Rattling off not warming up: Cold wrists + bear crawls = injury. Begin with wrist circles and cat-cow stretches.
- Overtraining: High-intensity animal flows are best attempted only 4x/week to avoid straining the joints.
- Bad form: Arch your back when you do crab walks? You could use FormFix AI or film yourself for accurate feedback.
2025’s Must-Have Gear for Animal Flow
- Gloves: Bear Grips 2.0 (padded for concrete crawls)
- App: Primal Play (AI generates terrain-based routines — “hill bear crawls” etc.
- Recovery: Hyperice Venom Go (wearable heat wrap for post-workout shoulders).
Primal Is The Future of Fitness
Animal workouts are not a Gen Z trend — they are going back to feeling how to move intuitively. In 2025, fitness will not be defined by lifting heavier, running “stronger” or longer; it will be seen in moving intelligently, playing and avoiding the grind. To quote biomechanist Dr. Kelly Starrett: “Your body is meant to explore, not endure.” Are you ready to unleash your inner beast?
