Beginner

Dead Bug

Learn core control through controlled limb movement. This exercise teaches stability while moving, essential for athletic performance.

1-2 weeks

Focus Areas

Core Foundation Core

Prerequisites

None (beginner-friendly)

Basic body awareness

Ability to lie supine

Understanding of neutral spine

Beginner

Dead Bug

Learn core control through controlled limb movement. This exercise teaches stability while moving, essential for athletic performance.

1-2 weeks

Focus Areas: Core Foundation Core

Prerequisites

None (beginner-friendly)

Basic body awareness

Ability to lie supine

Understanding of neutral spine

The dead bug exercise teaches core stability during dynamic limb movement, creating a foundation for athletic performance and injury prevention. Lying supine with arms and legs elevated, practitioners move opposite limbs while maintaining neutral spine position. This contralateral pattern mimics natural human movement while developing the core control essential for all activities.

At Beyond Movement, we use dead bugs as both an assessment tool and training exercise, revealing core control deficits while building the stability required for advanced movements. The exercise teaches disassociation—the ability to move limbs while maintaining core position—crucial for everything from running to handstands. Progressive variations increase difficulty while maintaining the fundamental pattern.

Dead bug training develops functional core strength that transfers directly to daily life and athletic performance. The exercise particularly benefits those with lower back pain, teaching proper core engagement without the spinal loading of traditional exercises. The movement pattern also enhances coordination and body awareness valuable across all physical activities.