Dead bug
Opposite arm and leg reach out while your back stays pressed to the floor. Core control with no strain at all.
The movement
Tabletop
01 Tabletop
Arms straight over the chest, knees stacked over the hips, low back flat.
02 Full extension
Reach one arm past your ear and the opposite leg long, both a hand's width off the floor.
03 Return
Pull the arm and leg back to the starting position without letting the lower back arch.
04 Alternate
Extend the opposite pair, moving slowly enough to keep the trunk completely still.
How to do it
Setup
- Lie on your back with your arms pointing at the ceiling.
- Lift your legs so your knees are over your hips and your shins are level.
- Press your lower back gently into the floor and keep it there.
Execution
- Lower one arm overhead and the opposite leg toward the floor, both stopping just above it.
- Return to the start under control and switch to the other pair.
- Your lower back never leaves the floor, and that contact is the entire exercise.
Form cues
- Breathe out slowly as you reach.
- Move slowly enough that your lower back never lifts.
Common mistakes
- Your lower back arching off the floor as the leg lowers.
- Rushing the reps until it becomes flailing.
Worth knowing
- Shorten the range, with the leg higher and the arm reaching less far back, whenever your back loses contact with the floor. The range grows as your control does.
General guidance, not medical advice. See how Setkit works.
Notes
The dead bug teaches your core its actual job, which is keeping your spine still while your arms and legs move. Lowering one arm and the opposite leg tries to pull your lower back into an arch. Keeping it pressed down while breathing calmly is the whole point, and it is harder than it looks.
There is no strain here, no momentum, and no position to survive. That makes it a good exercise early in your training, a good warm-up before lifting, and a check on your control that never stops being useful.
Slowness is how you make it harder. Three-second reaches with a long exhale change the exercise completely. After that, progress by straightening your legs more, holding light weights in your hands, and eventually moving to the hollow hold, which is a dead bug without the floor to help you.