Why I Love It
This exercise was a savior for me when I herniated both my L5 and S1. It’s helped numerous clients of mine as well. What’s not to love about an exercise that helps recover you from an injury. Another bonus with the dead bug is that there are so many variations to either change it up or to actually dial in and correct a weakness or imbalance in your body.
What Does It Do
The dead bug primarily works your core as a whole and here are a plethora of other major benefits.
strengthening the core
stabilizing the spine
developing better posture
challenges coordination
we can even add in the benefit of it helping correct faulty breathing patterns
Wrapping a band around the feet is a phenomenal way to initiate more glute activation which is always a win when warming up or helping fix or prevent low back pain. Dead bugs are a must use in pretty much every exercise program
Key Coaching Cues
The dead bug is called a dead bug for a pretty good reason… cause you kinda look like one when starting the exercise. You’ll want to have a power band wrapped around some type of support along with a mini band wrapped around your feet. Start off laying on your back with the power band behind you and pull it over your head so it is above your chest. This is where you begin to have your lats engaged. From here slightly lift your shoulder blades off the floor and now you are in an anterior flexing position. This is where this version of the dead bug becomes an anti-extension exercise. Now to finish off getting in position, bend your knees and slide your feet in then lift them into the air. Note both arms are over the chest and both knees over hips. You are going to extend one leg all the way straight to the floor. This is where using the band around your feet creates resistance and the glutes have to work. Once the leg is entirely extended, slowly return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
Where To Implement It
You can do a dead bug as part of a core circuit as you would any other ab or core exercise. Another place you may benefit a lot from using the dead bug is in a specific corrective exercise program. For example, a low back specific warm-up where you might do some soft tissue work first, then mobilize the hips, followed by some core stabilization moves like… the dead bug. There really isn’t a bad time to use the dead bug so go ahead and give it a run-through.
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