Dead Bug Exercise Guide: Master Core Stability

Learn how to perform the Dead Bug exercise with proper form to strengthen your deep core, improve posture, and protect your lower back from injury.

How to Perform

  1. Lie flat on your back on a mat with your arms extended straight up toward the ceiling, aligned over your shoulders.
  2. Lift your legs into a tabletop position with your knees bent at 90 degrees and positioned directly over your hips.
  3. Exhale deeply and contract your core to press your lower back firmly into the floor, eliminating any gap between your spine and the mat.
  4. Slowly lower your right arm behind your head while simultaneously straightening and lowering your left leg toward the floor.
  5. Pause when your arm and leg are just above the ground, ensuring your lower back remains in contact with the floor throughout the movement.
  6. Return your arm and leg to the starting position with control before repeating the movement on the opposite side.

Common Mistakes

  • Arching the lower back off the floor during the extension phase.
  • Moving the limbs too quickly and losing tension in the transverse abdominis.
  • Allowing the stationary knee to drift toward the chest instead of staying over the hip.
  • Holding your breath rather than using controlled exhalations to maintain abdominal pressure.

Muscles Worked

Primary movers

  • Abs

Stabilizers

  • Obliques
  • Hip Flexors
  • Pelvic Floor
  • Erector Spinae

Related Guides

Abs · Core