New 'Animal Flow' Workouts Could Help New Yorkers Burn Fat, Build Muscle, And Return To Their Primal Roots

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A new workout is helping New Yorkers shed pounds, build muscle, and unleash their inner animals. Some people are calling it a "workout gone wild."

The trend is called "Animal Flow," according to Lisa Wheeler, the senior national creative manager for Group Fitness at Equinox.

"We incorporate all kinds of animal influences -- beast crawls, crab walks, baboons, crocodile rolls," she told CBS 2's Kristine Johnson.

The point of Animal Flow is to get a workout by returning a person to their primal roots.

"We're bringing back those natural movements that the body wants to do rather than sitting on a machine and pushing metal around," Wheeler said.

Medical experts told CBS 2 that the workouts can make a real impact.

"It's actually very challenging to do," said chiropractor Dr. Perry Nickelston,

The challenging part of the workout, which was developed in Miami by fitness trainer Mike Fitch, involves walking like a crab or an ape and engaging your core muscles. Is it challenging? Yes, but the workouts can actually be a lot less stressful on the body.

"Whether it's a bear crawl, an orangutan trot, or crab walk, you tend to use your whole body as a unit. It's more natural," explained orthopedic specialist Dr. Jeffrey Rosen.

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