Nowadays new sports appear with enviable regularity. Some people try new things with enthusiasm, while others look at them with bewilderment. Among these activities is quadrobics. What is this trend, why does a child imitate animals? Is this activity really good for your health? Let’s find out together with an expert.
What will we tell you about:
history of quadricycles
Quadrobics is an unofficial sport that combines an element of aerobics and functional training. Most exercises are performed on four supports: hands and knees.
Quadrobics became especially popular among children and teenagers in 2024. A distinctive feature of this trend is dressing up as animals and imitating them. Children wear masks in the form of animals and individual costume elements: paws or tails.
In addition, they imitate the behavior and movements of animals: they run, jump and move on all fours. Followers of this subculture are called quadrobers. They are often confused with furries. However, there is a big difference between the representatives of the two subcultures.
Photo: Diy13 / istockphoto.com
The exact history of the appearance of quadrobics is difficult to establish. Its founder is considered to be the Japanese sprinter Kenichi Ito. The athlete was inspired by the running speed of the pawed monkeys and decided to master the technique of moving on all fours. Ito practiced both in the stadium and on the city streets. During training, the sprinter mastered up to six modes of movement, from slow walking to fast running with leaps and bounds.
In 2015, Ito entered the Guinness Book of Records by running 100 meters on all fours in 15.71 seconds. His success inspired many followers. For example, American Colin Maclure broke Kenichi Ito’s record in 2022. He managed to cover the distance of 100 meters in 15.66 seconds.
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Attitude towards the quad.
In Russia, kvadrobika gained considerable popularity in the spring of 2024. This trend has spread through social media. In the video, the children walked on all fours and imitated the sounds and movements of the animals. Nowadays, several websites and markets already offer a wide range of special costumes, as well as mask-making kits.
Many children and teenagers enjoy this activity. However, some adults are wary of the quad. Some even call for it to be banned and write complaints that children attack passers-by and behave inappropriately. For example, they dig in the ground, harm animals, eat and bite. However, among adults there are those who ask not to prohibit this movement, highlighting that this type of behavior is rare.
Photo: Sergiy Kolesnikov / istockphoto.com
To date, the authorities do not have a clear opinion on the ring. The director of the Safe Internet League, Ekaterina Mizulina, said that she considers this hobby as a trend. When the growing interest in quads ends, the decline in their popularity will begin, he believes.
Tatarstan’s Children’s Ombudsman, Irina Volynets, pointed out that there should be certain limits in this type of hobbies. For this reason, a request was sent to Rosdetstvo to evaluate the quadrature.
Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Gennady Onishchenko also commented on the popular trend among young people. According to him, kvadrobika is not a mental illness, but a form of self-expression. Here it is important to pay attention, first of all, to the behavior of the parents, believes Onishchenko.
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general practitioner
“Quadrobics is a new direction of physical activity. It is especially popular with children and teenagers. However, many do not understand its essence and doubt its health benefits. Let’s understand the basic principles and influence of quadratics.”
The peculiarity of the quads is to work with your own body weight in an unstable position. These exercises activate the deep core muscles and improve balance and flexibility. This activity strengthens the back, arms, legs and also contributes to the development of coordination and general physical endurance.
Basic principles of quads.
Quadriceps as a form of physical activity can have a significant positive impact on your overall physical health. And both children, adolescents, and adults. This type of exercise is classified as aerobic exercise. They help improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system, strengthen muscles and increase body flexibility.
A key feature of quadbics is the emphasis on the animals’ natural movements, such as moving on all fours and jumping. These exercises use a wide range of muscles. Very often even those that rarely work in our daily lives are included.
Photo: Diy13 / istockphoto.com
Quadriceps movements develop coordination, balance and endurance. In addition, this type of training helps control weight, since intense aerobic movements burn a significant amount of calories.
Regular exercise can not only help improve physical condition, but also has a beneficial effect on emotional state. This type of training has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety by stimulating the release of endorphins, the happiness hormones. That’s why they are also good for mental health.
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Quadruple movements
Quadrobics includes several key elements that combine different types of activities. It combines functional training, gymnastics and also has similarities with parkour, where the focus is on overcoming obstacles.
The main movements of the quadriceps are walking and running on all fours, as well as jumping with support on the hands. These elements require good physical fitness, endurance and flexibility, as they involve all muscle groups. For example, one of the basic exercises is running on all fours. Actively develops the muscles of the legs, arms and body.
In addition, quad races often use obstacle jumps and elements that imitate the movements of animals. These elements require not only strength, but also proper technique to avoid injury and achieve maximum training efficiency.
Photo: Diy13 / istockphoto.com
Preparation for classes.
Before starting to train quadriceps it is very important to do a good warm-up. It helps warm the body, increase flexibility and improve blood circulation, reducing the risk of sprains and other injuries.
Do some cardio. Start by lightly jogging in place or jumping rope for 5 to 7 minutes. These exercises will get your blood flowing and warm up your muscles. It is important to include the entire body here. Swing your arms, swing your legs, lean to the sides and forward. But try not to make sudden movements to gently and gently stretch the main muscle groups. Perform joint exercises. Gently rotate your wrists, shoulders, knees, and ankles to prepare for loading. Get ready to run on all fours. This will help gently exercise the muscles in your arms and back. Place your hands on the floor and gently move from all fours to a standing position and back again several times.
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Quadrobics and animal flow.
There is another type of activity similar to quads. It’s called animal flow. Both practices involve exercises that imitate the movements of animals. However, there is a difference between them.
Animal flow is a unique exercise system that combines elements from various areas of fitness: yoga, capoeira, gymnastics and parkour. The main objective of these classes is to improve physical strength, flexibility, coordination and general resistance by working with your own body weight. Animal flow is designed to engage all muscle groups, develop joint mobility and improve movement awareness.
Quadriceps training focuses more on aerobic exercise, where the focus is on cardio and high intensity. The emphasis here is on increasing heart rate, burning calories and building endurance.
Animal flow, in turn, is more reminiscent of aerobic fitness, but with a focus on functional movements and the development of flexibility, strength and coordination. Unlike quadriceps, there is more emphasis on smooth transitions between exercises, bodyweight work, and awareness of movements. Workouts include elements of stretching, static and dynamic postures to improve joint mobility, flexibility and overall strength.
Photo: Sergiy Kolesnikov / istockphoto.com
Benefits of practicing quads
The benefits of quad training include:
improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system; strengthen muscles and increase flexibility;
Through a combination of dynamic and static exercises that require precise synchronization of the work of different parts of the body, quadriceps training helps strengthen motor skills and develop dexterity. These aspects make this activity especially beneficial for overall physical fitness and for improving balance and stability.
Quadrobics also includes elements of strength and stretching. This training builds endurance, strength and flexibility. A variety of exercises that involve almost all muscle groups helps improve overall fitness.
In general, individual elements of quads are a universal type of activity for any age. For adults, they can become a fun and effective alternative to classic classes, diversifying their usual workouts.
Quadrobics also promotes the development of children and adolescents. In addition to the physical benefits, it instills in them a love of sport and a healthy lifestyle, and helps to instill discipline and organization. Participation in group activities and role plays develops social skills, the ability to interact with others and strengthens self-image and self-confidence.
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