Dead Bug for Abs/Core Muscles by Physiotherapist Alicia Cole
This week’s exercise will be the dead bug, so get off that couch as this exercise will help get those six pack abs ready for beach season! Having a solid core can also assist in stability and overall strength.
Pro tip: Use a yoga mat on the ground if possible and place a pillow underneath your head for comfort during this exercise.
Step 1:
Lay down on your back with your arms straight in the air and your hips and knees bent to 90 degrees. Before initiating any movement, perform a posterior pelvic tilt by pressing your low back into the floor, really engaging your core muscles and thus stopping your back from arching during this exercise. Hold this posterior pelvic tilt for the duration of the exercise.
Step 2:
Slowly begin to drop one arm behind your head while simultaneously lowering your opposite leg towards the ground. Stop moving both your arm and opposite leg just before they reach the ground. While you are lowering one arm and leg, the opposite arm and leg does not move from the starting position.
Step 3:
Return the arm and leg that you lowered down back to the starting position. Repeat step two with your opposite arm and leg. Continue to alternate sides for 3 sets of 10 repetitions on both sides. Don’t forget to keep breathing while performing the exercise!
*Never do an exercise that causes you pain*