Dead Bug Exercise for Strong Abs and a Healthy Back.The dead bug exercise is a safe and effective way to strengthen and stabilize your core, spine, and back muscles. Especially useful for those who sit a lot.
What is this exercise?
The Dead Bug is a simple core workout that is suitable for people of all fitness levels and requires no equipment.
During the exercise, a person lies on his back with his arms raised and his legs bent at the knees, and alternately lowers his opposite limbs to the floor. In appearance, this resembles a beetle that moves its legs in an attempt to stand up.
What are the benefits of the dead bug exercise?
There are several reasons to include this exercise in your workouts.
Allows you to pump up your abs without the risk of hurting your back
The most popular abdominal exercises are various folds and leg lifts. For healthy people, such movements are safe, but if a person already has back problems, then numerous bends and extensions of the body can aggravate the protrusion of the intervertebral discs.
In the dead bug exercise, you do not bend your torso, but your abdominal muscles are constantly tense to maintain the desired position. This reduces the risk of injury during the exercise.
Moreover, since the back does not bend, the movement does not cause discomfort even to people with lower back pain.
May reduce and prevent lower back pain
Modern people spend a lot of time sitting, and this does not have the best effect on the health of the spine. Muscles weaken, posture deteriorates, and back stability deteriorates. All this can eventually lead to lower back pain.
To protect your back from pain and improve the condition of existing minor problems, you need to strengthen the muscles of the back and abdomen.
Particular attention should be paid to the transverse abdominal muscle, which lies deeper than the others and supports the internal organs. Together with the multi-partite muscles of the back, it forms an anatomical belt that provides the necessary support.
In a study of 10 men, researchers found that the dead bug not only targets the abdominals, but also the multifidus muscles. Over time, this type of training can help increase core stability and improve chronic lower back pain, especially if you combine the dead bug with other good abdominal and back exercises .
It should be noted here that people with acute and severe back pain, a history of spinal injuries, sciatica and other serious conditions should first consult with a physician and then exercise under the supervision of a physiotherapist.
May improve performance in a variety of activities
When walking or running, a person simultaneously moves opposite limbs forward. For example, he takes a step with his right leg and swings his left arm. This keeps the body from rotating and increases the efficiency of the movement, but at the same time it loads the core muscles, which must maintain stability.
When you do the dead bug, you move in a similar way — working the opposite arm and leg at the same time. This trains the muscles to better transfer force between the core and the limbs, increases its stability, and can have a positive effect on performance in a variety of sports .
Who Shouldn’t Do the Dead Bug Exercise
This movement is safe for most people, but in some cases it can still be harmful.
Again, if you have back problems or experience severe lower back pain, you should not perform the dead bug exercise without consulting a therapist.
Exercising during the acute phase of the disease or overdoing the load on the muscles can only make things worse.
How to Perform the Dead Bug Exercise Correctly
1. Lie on your back, extend your arms straight in front of your body. Raise your hips and bend your knees at a 90° angle. Make sure your knees are above your pelvis and your shins are parallel to the floor.
2. Tighten your abs. Make sure your lower back is in a neutral position and does not arch over the floor. This position should be maintained throughout the exercise.
3. While inhaling, simultaneously straighten and lower your right leg and bring your left arm to the floor above your head. Do not place your limbs on the floor, but keep them a short distance from the surface.
4. As you exhale, smoothly return to the starting position.
5. Lower your left leg and right arm to the floor in the same way. Continue in the same manner, alternating sides.
What mistakes should be avoided?
The exercise is quite simple to master, but even in it you can make mistakes that will reduce the benefits of training.
Fast and sharp movements
By moving smoothly, you increase the time your muscles spend under tension, which is helpful for building muscle strength and endurance . Also, moving quickly can make it difficult to maintain proper form.
If you’re having trouble maintaining a slow pace and feel yourself starting to speed up, try using a medicine ball or foam roller to help correct this.
Get into the starting position and hold the ball or roller between your hands and knees. The idea is to hold the object during the exercise.
This will force you to pause briefly each time you return your arm and leg to their original position, and the movements will become more controlled.
Arch in the lower back
During the “dead bug” exercise, the lower back should be in a neutral position and touch the floor. This applies both in the initial position and during the lowering and raising of the arms and legs.
Keep an eye on this as you perform the exercise. If you are not sure that your lower back is in the correct position, try the resistance band test.
Hook the resistance band to a support not too high off the floor, pull it taut and place it under your lower back. Take the starting position for the dead bug exercise and press the band to the floor with your back. If the band slips out from under your body, you are not maintaining the correct position.
You may not be able to cope with this exercise if your abdominal and back muscles are not strong enough. In this case, you should start with a simplified version of the “dead bug”.
How to Simplify the Dead Bug Exercise
Try the options one by one. If you can keep your lower back from bending, move on to the next one.
Perform the movement with support on the second leg
Get into the starting position for a regular dead bug, then place your left foot on the floor. Simultaneously extend your right leg and left arm and return them back.
Once you have completed the required number of repetitions, switch legs and repeat on the other side.
Lower your bent legs
Cross your arms over your chest or place them along your body. Raise your legs, bending them at the knees at a right angle.
Without straightening your legs, lower them one by one until your feet touch the floor and then raise them back up.
Straighten your legs without using your arms
Keep your hands on your chest or on the floor, but now straighten your legs as you lower yourself, just like you would do a regular dead bug.
You don’t have to lower your legs low right away. Find your level, where you can keep your lower back in a neutral position. As your muscles strengthen, try to leave less and less space between your legs and the floor.
How to make the dead bug exercise more difficult
There are several options to make the exercise even more challenging and effective. Just make sure you are doing the classic version with perfect technique before trying them.
Hold on to the resistance band
Hook the expander to a strong support not high from the floor. Lie on your back with your head towards the support, but a couple of steps away from it. Grab the elastic band and straighten your arms above your body.
The expander will pull you back, this will provide additional load on the core muscles. Work your legs as in the classic version of the exercise.
Take the weight
Take a medicine ball and lower it behind your head, alternately straightening your legs. Start with the lightest weights and gradually increase the weight.
Instead of a medicine ball, you can hold dumbbells in your hands and also put weights on your legs.
How often and for how long to practice
The number of sets and repetitions depends on your level of training. Start with two sets of 8-10 repetitions. Rest between sets for the same amount of time as you worked.
If you completed the exercise without difficulty, maintaining perfect form, next time do 3 sets of 10-15 repetitions.
For those who find this easy, you can increase the number of repetitions to 15-20 times. Then you should increase the complexity of the movement by adding weights.
As for frequency, do the dead bug exercise 2-3 times a week. You can supplement it with other good core-building moves like the bird dog , crunches, superman, classic plank, and side plank .