Crab Reach
The Crab Reach is a functional bodyweight exercise that combines a hip bridge with a rotational overhead reach to improve total-body mobility and core strength. It targets the glutes, abs, and shoulders while opening up the thoracic spine and hip flexors.
Because this movement requires significant wrist and shoulder stability, the AI analyzes your joint health history and daily recovery metrics (like HRV) to determine if you are ready for this complex flow. If you've reported recent wrist discomfort or your recovery score is low, the app can automatically swap this for a lower-impact regression like a standard Glute Bridge. Additionally, by tracking your RPE, the AI learns your coordination threshold, ensuring the exercise remains challenging but safe as you improve.
Form Cues
- Place hands behind you with fingers pointing away from your body
- Drive through your heels to fully extend your hips
- Reach your arm up and over toward the floor behind your head
- Look down at your supporting hand to protect your neck
- Squeeze your glutes hard at the top of the movement
- Don't let your shoulders shrug up toward your ears
- Don't allow your hips to sag while reaching
- Don't point your fingers forward toward your feet
- Don't hold your breath during the extension
Common Mistakes
- Insufficient hip extension
- Shrugging the shoulders
- Incorrect hand placement stressing wrists
- Rushing the rotational movement
- Not looking at the base hand
Muscles Worked
This exercise primarily targets the posterior chain, specifically the glutes and spinal erectors, while heavily engaging the core and obliques through rotation. It also places a significant stability demand on the triceps and anterior deltoids of the supporting arm, making it an effective full-body mobility and strength movement.
Primary
Secondary
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