If you have lower back problems, strengthening your core can offer relief. Even if you don’t have back issues, it’s a perfect exercise to train your core to activate all the time so you can take your workouts to the next level. To do this exercise properly, you need to recruit your deep core muscles and turn your abs on and off. This exercise video shows you how to do the dead bug exercise properly so you can strengthen your core.
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Core Stability Exercise
The dead bug is a core stability exercise. ou may even want to put your hand on your abs during the exercise, to really make sure you’re turning them on and off throughout the movement.
With the dead bug, you’re going to keep your spine and hips neutral. Here’s how to do a dead bug correctly.
- Get real close to the wall.
- Create a 90 degree from your knees to your hips.
- Create another 90-degree angle from your hips to your shoulders.
- Push on the wall with one hand.
- With as much power as you can, extend the opposite leg.
- Push your lower back into the floor during the exercise.
- Come back to neutral.
When you extend your leg, push into the wall as hard as you can. You’re not just touching the wall, you’re pushing hard!
Then, with as much power as you can, extend the opposite leg. All while pushing your lower back into the floor. You should shake if you’re pushing hard enough.
If you push on the wall without turning on your core, you’ll feel it in your lower back. It will probably lift off the ground.
One of the reasons people have lower back pain is because they don’t brace their core. The dead bug will show you when you are bracing your core and when you are not.
Want more core exercises? Get my FREE core workout guide with tips and exercises to build stability, power, and mobility.
Dead bug progression with bands
You can intensify this workout and the core strengthening, with a mini-band. I recommend these mini-bands.
Put the mini-band around your feet. Press and exhale with your back pushing into the ground.
There should be no movement through your spine or your hips. Really find the strength in your core.
Watch this dead bug video to make sure you’re doing the movement properly.
You can also progress the dead bug with a sandbag and mini band.
Best core exercises
The dead bug is the first core exercise in my best core workout. It’s full of sneaky core exercises to engage your core so when you do other exercises like a push-up or squat, you turn on your core and get more out of your workouts. Get the whole core workout or learn how to master the next exercise. It’s a great at home core workout.
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