Difficulty: Medium
Impact Level: Normal
Target Body Parts: abs
How to do Dead Bug
Back to ExercisesInstructions
Start by lying down on your back on a flat, padded surface like a mat or a towel. Then bend your knees and lift your bent leg off the floor so that your knees are positioned above your hips, knees bent to about 90 degrees. Also reach your arms up towards the ceiling above your shoulders.
From this start position, draw you tummy down towards your spine to activate your core and keep your lower back down against the floor. Then slowly, with control, lower your right leg down and reach it out towards the floor as far as you can without your lower back arching away from the floor. Hover the foot off the floor for a moment, then bring it back in and up to return in to the start position, side by side with your left leg. Once both legs are sie by side, switch legs and repeat the movement. Remember only ever move one leg at a time with the spare leg waiting in the start position until the other leg returns to meet it.
How to make Dead Bug easier
To make this exercise easier try it with a bent leg so that your feet touch the floor much closer to your hips than they would with straight legs.
Also check out our exercises such as Elevated crunches to build up some core strength first.
How to make Dead Bug more challenging
From here amp things up with our Supine Bicycle exercise to get more of the abs and obliques firing.
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