Advanced Animal Flow Sequences for Explosive Strength

I thought I knew what explosive power was until I got schooled by a 140-pound dancer named Carlos at a movement workshop several years ago. Here I was, a guy who’d been training strength athletes for decades, watching this lean dancer explode through animal flow transitions with more raw power than most of my powerlifting clients could generate.
The wake-up call came when he challenged me to match his “ape to scorpion” sequence. https://youtu.be/fEonF-SVkdk I’d been practicing animal flow at that point, feeling pretty confident in my abilities. What followed was another humbling sixty seconds of my training career – me struggling through clunky transitions while Carlos flowed through explosive movements that looked like controlled chaos.
Along with self laughter that experience taught me that building explosive strength through advanced animal flow isn’t about adding weight or external resistance. https://www.rushwalter.com/holistic-strength-training-for-beginners/ It’s about learning to generate maximum force through complex movement patterns while maintaining perfect control and fluidity.
Understanding Explosive Movement in Animal Flow
Traditional explosive training focuses on moving maximum load through minimal range of motion as quickly as possible. https://www.rushwalter.com/what-is-holistic-strength-training-guide-to-mind-body-fitness-in-2025/ Animal flow explosiveness is the opposite – it’s about generating power through full-body movement patterns while maintaining precision and coordination throughout extended ranges of motion.
The key insight is that explosiveness in animal flow comes from the rapid redirection of momentum, not just raw force production. When you watch an advanced practitioner move, they’re constantly loading and unloading different muscle groups, using momentum and counter-momentum to create fluid power throughout complex sequences.
This type of power development has incredible carryover to athletic performance. https://www.rushwalter.com/intuitive-strength-training-listening-to-your-bodys-signals/ I’ve worked with MMA fighters who saw dramatic improvements in their ground game scrambling ability after incorporating advanced animal flow sequences. The combination of explosive power generation and transitional coordination translates directly to sport-specific movement demands.
The Foundation: Explosive Static Positions
Before diving into dynamic sequences, you need to master what I call “explosive stillness” – the ability to rapidly contract into and relax out of challenging static positions. This builds the neurological foundation for explosive flow patterns.
The explosive beast is your starting point. From a standing position, rapidly drop into a perfect beast hold, creating maximum tension throughout your entire body in less than one second. Hold for five seconds with complete stillness, then explode back to standing. The transition should be violent in speed but controlled in positioning.
Most people underestimate how challenging this simple drill is. Getting into a stable beast position quickly requires incredible coordination between your nervous system and muscular system. https://www.rushwalter.com/natural-movement-strength-patterns-for-real-world-power/ Your body needs to instantly organize dozens of muscle groups into a cohesive, powerful platform.
Progress to explosive crab holds from various starting positions. Begin lying on your back, then explode into a stable crab position as quickly as possible. The challenge is maintaining perfect alignment through the rapid transition while generating maximum force production.
Power Development Through Loaded Reaches
Loaded reaches are where animal flow starts building the type of explosive strength that transfers to athletic performance. https://www.rushwalter.com/natural-movement-strength-training-for-complete-beginners/ These movements combine isometric holds with dynamic reaches, creating intense stability demands while generating power through extended ranges of motion.
The scorpion loaded reach is a game-changer for posterior chain power development. Start in beast position, then explosively reach one hand forward and across your body while simultaneously reaching the opposite leg back and across. The goal is maximum extension and rotation while maintaining rock-solid stability through your planted limbs.
Hold the extended position for three seconds with maximum tension, then explosively return to beast. The return movement should be just as powerful as the reach, teaching your nervous system to generate force in both directions of the movement pattern.
Ape loaded reaches target anterior power development. From beast position, explosively shift your weight back onto your feet while reaching both hands forward and up, creating a powerful hip extension pattern. The movement should feel like a vertical leap that’s been redirected into a reach pattern.
Advanced Transition Explosiveness
This is where things get serious. Advanced animal flow sequences require you to generate explosive power while transitioning between completely different movement patterns. Your nervous system has to coordinate complex movements while maintaining fluidity and control.
The beast to ape to scorpion sequence is a classic test of transitional explosiveness. Start in beast hold, explosively transition to ape reach, then immediately flow into scorpion reach on the opposite side. Each transition should be powerful and definitive, with no hesitation or adjustment periods. Of course in the beginning I concentrate on form over speed.
The key to mastering these transitions is understanding the loading and unloading phases. Every explosive transition begins with a slight loading phase where you gather tension, followed by the explosive unloading phase where you redirect that energy into the next movement pattern.
Crab to wave to beast sequences challenge your ability to generate power through spinal undulation patterns. From crab position, explosively initiate a wave through your spine while transitioning to beast. The wave should be powerful enough to propel you through the transition, not just a gentle mobility exercise.
Plyometric Animal Flow Patterns
Incorporating plyometric elements into animal flow creates some of the most challenging explosive strength patterns I’ve ever encountered. These movements require maximum power output while maintaining the coordination and control demanded by complex animal patterns.
Explosive bear crawl hops take traditional bear crawling to another level. From beast position, explosively hop forward with both hands and feet simultaneously, landing immediately back in beast position. The key is maintaining your low beast posture throughout the explosive movement. When you dial this one in, you will smile.
Start with single hops, focusing on maximum power output and perfect landing mechanics. Progress to consecutive hops, which dramatically increase the power endurance demands. Five consecutive explosive bear crawl hops will test even advanced practitioners.
Lateral ape hops build explosive lateral power while challenging your ability to control momentum in multiple directions. From ape position, explosively hop to one side while maintaining your ape posture throughout the movement. The landing should be controlled and stable, ready for immediate redirection.
Flow Sequences for Power Endurance
Power endurance in animal flow means maintaining explosive capabilities throughout extended sequences. This type of conditioning is incredibly demanding and builds a unique combination of strength, power, and cardiovascular capacity.
The “explosive flow pyramid” is one of my favorite power endurance protocols. Create a sequence of five different explosive animal movements. Perform one rep of each movement, then two reps of each, then three, building up to five reps of each movement, then back down to one.
A sample pyramid might include: explosive beast holds, ape loaded reaches, scorpion transitions, lateral crab walks, and bear crawl hops. By the time you reach the peak of the pyramid, you’re performing twenty-five explosive movements with minimal rest.
The cardiovascular demands are intense, but the real challenge is maintaining movement quality and power output as fatigue accumulates. This type of training builds the kind of explosive endurance that’s incredibly valuable for athletic performance.
Integrating Directional Changes
Real-world explosive movements rarely happen in straight lines. Advanced animal flow sequences incorporate rapid directional changes that challenge your ability to generate and redirect force through multiple planes of movement.
Multi-directional bear crawl patterns involve explosive directional changes every few steps. Crawl forward explosively for three steps, immediately transition to lateral crawling for three steps, then backward for three steps, then lateral in the opposite direction. Each directional change should be explosive and definitive.
The coordination demands are enormous because you’re constantly reorganizing your movement patterns while maintaining explosive output. Your nervous system learns to rapidly switch between different motor programs while maintaining power production.
Circular flow patterns add rotational power development to the mix. Create sequences that involve circular movement patterns around a central point, incorporating explosive transitions and directional changes throughout the rotation.
Advanced Loading Strategies
While animal flow is primarily a bodyweight practice, advanced practitioners can incorporate strategic loading to further develop explosive strength. The key is adding resistance that enhances the movement patterns rather than restricting them.
Weighted vest training adds systematic overload without compromising movement quality. Start with very light loads – 5 to 10 pounds maximum – and focus on maintaining explosive capabilities through your established sequences. The added load will challenge your power output and make bodyweight sequences feel effortless when you remove the vest.
Resistance band integration creates accommodating resistance that matches the strength curves of animal flow movements. Bands can be attached to create horizontal or vertical resistance that challenges specific phases of movement patterns.
Partner-assisted training involves having a training partner provide manual resistance or assistance during specific phases of movements. This creates variable resistance that challenges your nervous system to adapt power output in real-time.
Periodization for Explosive Development
Building explosive strength through animal flow requires intelligent periodization that balances high-intensity work with adequate recovery. Explosive movements are incredibly demanding on your nervous system and require more recovery than traditional strength training.
I typically structure explosive animal flow training in three-week blocks. Week one focuses on explosive static positions and basic power patterns. Week two introduces complex transitions and multi-directional work. Week three emphasizes flow sequences and power endurance challenges.
The fourth week is always a deload, focusing on mobility, basic flow patterns, and nervous system recovery. Skipping deload weeks when training explosively almost always leads to decreased performance and increased injury risk.
Assessment and Progression Markers
Unlike traditional strength training where you can easily measure progress through load increases, explosive animal flow progression requires more nuanced assessment methods. Video analysis becomes crucial for evaluating movement quality and power output.
Look for increased speed through transitions, more powerful takeoffs and landings during plyometric movements, and improved ability to maintain power output throughout extended sequences. Quality of movement should never deteriorate in pursuit of explosive output.
Subjective markers are equally important. How do you feel during and after explosive sessions? Are you maintaining enthusiasm for training, or are you dreading sessions? Your nervous system’s response to explosive training provides valuable feedback about recovery and adaptation.
Integration with Other Training
Advanced explosive animal flow works best when integrated intelligently with other training modalities. It shouldn’t replace traditional strength training but rather complement it by developing power expression through complex movement patterns.
I typically recommend explosive animal flow sessions 2-3 times per week for athletes already maintaining a solid strength training foundation. The unique movement demands fill gaps that traditional training often misses while developing transferable athletic qualities.
Recovery becomes even more critical when combining explosive animal flow with other high-intensity training. Monitor your overall training stress and be willing to reduce volume in other areas when focusing on explosive movement development.
The goal isn’t to become an animal flow specialist unless that’s your specific interest. The goal is developing explosive strength qualities through natural movement patterns that enhance your overall athletic capabilities and movement competency.
Remember that building true explosiveness takes time and patience. These movement patterns challenge your nervous system in ways that traditional training doesn’t, and adaptation happens gradually. Focus on consistent practice, intelligent progression, and maintaining the playful spirit that makes animal flow sustainable long-term.
Remember when you need direction or specific fitness tools to achieve maximum wellness results our team are glad and anxious to help you. Contact us via email and we will help you become healthier and stronger. Thanks for reading this fitness blog. I hope you enjoy a wonderful day, Walter