Yes you did read that right… it’s really called dead bug and its good for you!
Benefits:
- Helps build a solid, stable foundation that protects the spine and allows for greater ease in everyday and athletic movements, such as moving heavy objects, walking up hills, and throwing.
- Helps prevent and relieve low back pain by protecting your lower back.
- Improves your posture, balance, and coordination.
- Especially recommended for: people with arthritis, older people working on improving muscle function, people with chronic pain, swimmers who want to improve their body position and people with Parkinson’s disease to make everyday activities easier and prevent injuries and accidents.
How to:
- Do this exercise on a padded mat. To support your neck, place a folded towel or flat cushion under your shoulders.
- Keep your hips and lower back still throughout the exercise. Perform the movement slowly and with control. Engage your core muscles and press your lower back into the floor. Allow your shoulders and lower back to fall heavy to the floor.
- Draw your shoulders down away from your ears. To get into the starting position, lift your hands into the air so your elbows are above your shoulders with your fists facing in toward each other.
- Lift your legs so your knees are directly over your hips, creating a 90 degree angle.
- On an exhale, slowly lower your right arm and left leg until they’re just above the floor.
- On an inhale, bring them back to the starting position.
- Repeat on the opposite sides.
DONTS:
- Let your spine peel away from the mat as you lower your arms and legs, try to maintain contact throughout
- Let your core relax at the bottom of the movement
- Rest your heels or hands on the floor when you extend, try to keep them consistently off the floor as much as possible
Variations:
Stability ball – using a stability ball helps increase core and spinal stability. Keep your lower back stable and rooted to the floor throughout the exercise. The only movement should be in your arms and legs.
Weights – adding light dumbbells or kettlebells to your hands makes this movement harder as your increasing the level of effort required from your core to keep your spine pressed into the mat.
For help with the dead bug, to double check your form, or to find out how you can incorporate it into your workout just grab one of the team on the gym floor!