What kind of exercise is this
The Dead Bug is a simple exercise designed to tone your core muscles. It is suitable for people of all skill levels and no equipment is required.
During execution, a person lies on his back with his arms raised and his knees bent and lowers his opposite limbs to the floor in turn. In appearance, it 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 harming your back
The most popular abdominal exercises are various folds and leg raises. For healthy people, such movements are safe, but if a person already has back problems, then numerous flexions and extensions of the body can aggravate the protrusion of intervertebral discs.
In the dead bug exercise, you do not bend your body, but your abdominal muscles are constantly tense to maintain the desired position. This reduces the risk of injury during exercise.
Moreover, since the back does not bend, the movement does not cause discomfort even for people with lower back pain.
May reduce and prevent lower back pain
Modern people spend a lot of time sitting, and this is not the best way affects on spinal health. Muscles weaken, posture deteriorates, and back stability deteriorates. All this can lead to lower back pain over time.
To protect your back from pain and improve the condition of existing minor problems, you need to strengthen the muscles of your 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 multifidus muscles of the back, it forms an anatomical belt, which provides necessary support.
In a study involving 10 men, scientists found that the “dead bug” engages not only the abdominals, but also the multifidus muscles. Over time, this type of training will help increase core stability and improve condition with chronic low back pain. Especially if you combine the “dead bug” with other good exercises for the abdominal and back muscles.
It should be noted here that people with acute and severe back pain, a history of spinal injuries, inflammation of the sciatic nerve and other serious conditions should first consult a physician and then exercise under the supervision of a physical therapist.
Take note ✍🏻
May improve performance in a variety of activities
When walking or running, a person simultaneously brings opposite limbs forward. For example, he takes a step with his right foot and swings with his left hand. This keeps the body from rotating and increases the efficiency of the movement, but it also taxes the core muscles that need to maintain stability.
When performing the dead bug exercise, you move in a similar way – you work your opposite arm and leg at the same time. This trains the muscles to better transfer force between the body and the limbs, increases its stability and Maybe have a good effect on results in different sports.
Who Shouldn’t Do the Dead Bug Exercise
This movement is safe for most people, but in some cases it can still cause harm.
We repeat: if you have back problems or feel acute pain in the lower back, you should not perform the “dead bug” exercise without consulting a therapist.
Exercising in the acute phase of the disease or overdoing the load on the muscles can only make things worse.
How to do 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 to 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 not arched over the floor. This position should be maintained throughout the entire exercise.
3. 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; keep them a short distance from the surface.
4. Exhale and smoothly return to the starting position.
5. Lower your left leg and right arm to the floor in the same way. Continue in this manner, alternating sides.
What mistakes should you avoid?
The exercise is quite simple to learn, but you can make mistakes in it that will reduce the benefits of training.
Fast and sudden movements
By moving smoothly, you increase the time your muscles spend under tension, which is beneficial for developing muscle strength and endurance. Additionally, moving quickly can make it difficult for you to maintain proper technique.
If you’re having trouble maintaining a slow pace and feel like you’re starting to speed up, try using a medicine ball or foam roller to remedy this.
Take the starting position and hold the ball or roller between your hands and knees. The point is to hold the object during the exercise.
This will force you to pause briefly each time you return your arm and leg to the starting position, and the movements will become more controlled.
Arch in the lower back
During the dead bug exercise, your lower back should be in a neutral position and touching the floor. Moreover, both in the initial position and during lowering and raising the arms and legs.
Keep an eye on this during execution. If you are not sure that your lower back is maintaining the correct position, try the resistance band test.
Hook the rubber band onto a support not high from the floor, pull it tight and place it under your lower back. Get into the starting position for the dead bug exercise and press the band with your back to the floor. If the expander slips out from under your body, it means you are unable to maintain the correct position.
You may not be able to complete the task if your abdominal and back muscles are not strong enough. In this case, it is worth starting with a simplified version of the “dead bug”.
How to make the dead bug exercise easier
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 normal dead bug position and then place your left foot on the floor. At the same time, extend your right leg and left arm and return it 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 your knees at right angles.
Without straightening your legs, lower them one by one until your feet touch the floor and lift them back up.
Straighten your legs without using your arms
Still keep your hands on your chest or on the floor, but now straighten your legs as you lower, just like a regular dead bug.
It is not necessary to immediately lower your legs low. Find your level at which 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 on how you can make the exercise even more complex and effective. Just make sure you’re doing the classic version with perfect technique before trying them.
Hold on to the expander band
Hook the resistance band onto a strong support, low from the floor. Lie on your back with your head facing the support, but a couple of steps away from it. Grab the band and straighten your arms above your body.
The expander will pull you back, this will provide additional stress on the core muscles. Work your legs as in the classic version of the exercise.
Take weights
Take the medicine ball in your hands and lower it behind your head, alternately straightening your legs. Start with the lightest weights and gradually increase the weight of the weight.
Instead of a medicine ball, you can pick up dumbbells and also put weights on your legs.
How often and for how long to practice
Number of approaches and repetitions depends depending on your level of training. Start with two sets of 8–10 reps. Between sets, rest for the same amount of time as you worked.
If you completed the task without difficulty, while maintaining the ideal form of the exercise, next time perform 3 sets of 10-15 repetitions.
For those who found this easy, you can increase the number of repetitions to 15–20 times. Next, you should increase the complexity of the movement by adding weights.
As for training frequency, perform the dead bug exercise 2-3 times a week. You can complement it with other good core movements, such as bird dog, crunches, superman, classic and side planks.
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