In any park in China you’re bound to see people exercising, whether it’s by jogging, dancing, tai chi, or downing unmanned aircraft. But just when you think you’ve seen it all, a whole new way of working out gets born. The basic philosophy is “Why walk on only two legs, when you have two perfectly good arms as well?”

And so, recreational crawling was born. At the moment it seems to be practiced mainly by a small band of people in Henan Province, but numbers are growing. It’s also said to have health benefits beyond that of regular bipedal walking.

Every morning at a park in Zhengzhou City you can see a few dozen crawlers out stretching their arms and legs and freaking out people and animals alike.  One member, Mr. Sun, said he had been walking on all fours for half a year and as a result his blood pressure is down and he no longer gets a stiff neck. I’d think walking on two legs would yield similar results, but let’s learn more before rushing to judgement.

Dr. Lu Pei-wang of the Henan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine says walking around on both arms and legs has numerous potential benefits. Firstly, it requires the use of muscles that are hardly ever worked out in everyday life. It also takes a lot of pressure off the spinal column, distributing your weight to your four limbs instead. Finally, it’s a whole body workout that strengthens muscles, joints, and bones all over.

Dr. Pei-wang believes this could considerably reduce the incidence of chronic lower back pain and many other disorders of the spine. The doctor didn’t speak of benefits outside of health matters but I also imagine it would help your social life as well. You’re bound to meet lots of new people when they approach you to ask, “Are you okay?”

If you do decide to try crawling on all fours, be sure to do like these people and remember to wear gloves. However, I’d recommend something with more support and padding than regular gardening gloves. Something like boxing gloves ought to do the trick.

…Alright I don’t really know if that’s a good idea. I just wanted to see someone crawl around like that with boxing gloves on. That would be cool.

Source: Livedoor News via Toychan
Video and Images: YouTube/CHINA NEWS