Dead Bug
The Dead Bug is a core stability exercise that strengthens the deep abdominals and hip flexors by challenging you to maintain a flat back while moving opposite limbs. It is an essential movement for learning to dissociate hip and shoulder movement from spinal stability.
Because the Dead Bug relies on internal tension rather than external load, the AI analyzes your RPE and set duration to ensure you are creating sufficient stability intensity. If you report lower back sensitivity in your daily logs, the app can prioritize this exercise to reinforce safe spinal positioning without spinal loading. Additionally, by tracking your core recovery status, the AI optimizes the volume to ensure your stabilizers are primed, not fatigued, for your heavy compound lifts.
Form Cues
- Press your lower back firmly into the floor throughout the entire set
- Exhale sharply as you extend your arm and leg to engage the deep core
- Keep your non-working knee stacked directly above your hip
- Move slowly and deliberately to maximize time under tension
- Reset your brace between every repetition
- Don't allow your lower back to arch or lift off the floor
- Don't rush the movement or use momentum
- Don't let your ribs flare up towards the ceiling
- Don't bring your knees excessively close to your chest in the starting position
Common Mistakes
- Arching the lumbar spine
- Moving too quickly
- Flaring the ribcage
- Losing tension in the stationary limbs
- Holding breath during the extension
Muscles Worked
This exercise primarily targets the transverse abdominis and rectus abdominis, teaching your core to act as a stabilizer against extension forces. It also engages the hip flexors and anterior deltoids dynamically, improving coordination between the upper and lower body while protecting the lumbar spine.
Primary
Secondary
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