Forget planks — I tried the wall bear hold to strengthen my core and I’m not going back

There’s nothing wrong with the classic plank. It’s a great core exercise that’s certainly effective in improving your strength and endurance. However, it’s also just about the least exciting exercise you can do.

As a result, I’m always on the lookout for alternatives to swap into my core workout routines, and I came across the wall bear hold on the Instagram page of fitness trainer Kyle Knapp.

This move also seems to go by the name "bear wall", or "wall bear hold," or any other combination of those words, but it more or less combines the bear crawl with a plank.

In Knapp’s post, he runs through a few different variations on the move and gives pointers on how to get the most from it.

You don’t need any kit for it, but I recommend using one of the best yoga mats if you’re on a slippery floor, because you need a good grip with your feet to hold the position.

How to do the wall bear hold

Knapp demonstrates the move in his Instagram post, with the key points being that you plant your palms on the wall with your hands shoulder-width apart, then come up onto your toes, with your knees hovering just above the floor.

You can simply hold this position for a core and quads burner, or give some of the variations Knapp shows in his post a go, such as transitions where you bring each hand down to the floor in turn while keeping your knees lifted.

I tried the wall bear hold and each of the variations in Knapp’s post; here are my main takeaways.

It’s harder than the plank

I can usually hold the classic plank for two to three minutes, but I struggled to last 60 seconds with the wall bear hold.

The position requires a lot of strength to maintain, and it also puts pressure on more parts of the body than the core. Doing the up and down transition was a little more comfortable to start with than a simple hold.

My quads were burning

If you have done the standard bear crawl exercise, you’ll know it requires a lot of work from the quads and that’s even more the case with the wall bear hold because much of the force involved to push you into the wall comes from the quads.

They were the muscles I noticed working hardest when I did the move, even more than my core. I think over time, as my quads get stronger, I could get more from the exercise in terms of core benefits, as I’d be able to focus on the core more without my quads burning.

You need shoes or strong toes

At first, I did the move with bare feet, but that was hard on my toes. I put shoes on and it became a lot more comfortable for my feet, if not my core and quads!

I’d also recommend doing this on a yoga mat or a surface with good grip — I had carpet beneath my feet and that was a little slippery, making the move harder.

It’s tough on the wrists

Another unexpected pressure point for the exercise is the wrists, which I found started to ache a little by the end of the initial hold.

If you avoid moves like push-ups or high planks because of wrist pain, then the wall bear hold is another move to skip, I think.

Any one-hand variation is hard

A couple of the variations Knapp demonstrates in his post involve supporting your body against the wall with one hand while rowing the other, or twisting your body to the side.

I found that any variation where you only have one hand on the wall for even just a few seconds is very tough, and I’d need to build up to those moves with two-handed versions of the wall bear first.

Move your hands up to make it easier

If the move is too hard on any part of the body, you can reduce the pressure and difficulty by moving your hands up the wall so you’re holding your body at an angle and supporting more of your weight on your feet.

This is a good idea when first attempting any variations, as you can get an idea of the move before trying it in the standard wall bear position, when it will be more difficult.

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