The deadbug
What is a Deadbug?
The deadbug is a fantastic exercise that trains your core through anti-extension. It offers a ton of progressions and regressions, so it is achievable to most people regardless of where they are in their fitness journey. As for who created the deadbug, that I do not know. As far as I can tell Dr. Stuart McGill (renowned back doctor) created a variation of this exercise, but I could not confirm that he created the base version. The fact that he is a fan of it should be enough for most people to start putting it in their programs.
What is so good about deadbuggin?
I could go on and on and on about why I like deadbugs, but your eyes will glaze over before you even get to the good parts. The short of it is, it is an amazing way to strengthen your core and your brace. It is fantastic because of its simplicity to perform while also being adaptable enough to become challenging. You are teaching your core(trunk) to brace(engage/flex) and prevent spinal shifting while rotating at the hip and the shoulder. A nice instant translation is to a Goblet squat, where you want to brace your core so that while you move through the hips and knees, you do not shift in your spine. Deadbugs have a part in any beginner/intermediate core strengthening plan right along curl ups, and side planks.
How to perform a classic Deadbug.
To get started, lie on your back with your knees bent and feet on the ground.
Find the natural curvature of your lower back (lumbar spine) by stacking your fingertips on top of one another under your lower back, right above your upper glutes. (This is not exact but more so to ensure that you are not pressing your back into the ground which would be taking your spine out of neutral)
Remove your hands and do your best to maintain that spinal position.
Move your arms and legs into a tabletop position (fingertips towards ceiling, wrist over shoulders, palms facing each other. Knees bent at 90 degrees, knees over hips, toes flexed towards your shins)
While keeping a neutral spine, slowly extend your left arm and right leg until they are fully lengthened/almost touching the ground. You should feel the tension in your core build as you get to this point. Focus on maintaining that brace and keep spine neutral.
Return to the starting position and repeat for desired number of reps and sets.
If your mobility does not allow you to get to a fully lengthened position, that is fine. Just work in the range you can for now.
Things to look out for and rep/set counts.
Start with three sets of 6-12 at a 2-1-2-1 tempo. Rest 30-45 seconds between sets. The goal I set for my clients is 3 sets of 20 before we move on to a progression.
Small aside. In case you are not familiar with the term tempo, it is a cadence for you to follow while performing the exercise. Everything is in seconds. The extension is the first number (2), the pause at the end of the extension is the second number (1), the third number is moving back towards the starting position (2) and the final number is the pause before moving on to the next rep (1). I will draft an in-depth article on the benefits of adjusting your tempo in the future!
If you find yourself feeling the exercise primarily in your lower back it is, most likely, due to arching during the first part of the movement, and or not bracing (contracting the core) strong enough during the movement. (insert picture here) If this is you, I would recommend that you reset the movement, re brace your core, and move at a slightly slower tempo to try to pinpoint when in the movement you start to or want to arch your back.
If you do not fault again after doing this, great! That just means you need to take each rep nice and slow for now.
If you find you can only get to a certain range before you cannot hold the brace anymore, that is fine as well. Work in that range until you build up the strength to slowly transition to full range of motion reps.
Another thing to look out for is your rib cage flaring. In the picture below you can see my chest is more elevated than pictures above. This is what I am talking about.
A little flair is okay, but you will want to keep your ribcage down as you move away from the body. You will feel better core recruitment if you do.
Regressions
If the normal version is too challenging there are a few ways to adjust it until you build the core strength to tackle it again.
Instead of straightening your leg, keep the knee bent and slowly tap the heel of the leg to the ground while bent. (insert picture here)
Separate the movement into parts. Arms first(single), then legs (single as well).
Progressions
If the normal version is too easy, here are some ways to make things challenging again.
Add weights to hands. There are two ways that I do this.
Put a small weight in each hand (start with 3’s or 5’s) and perform the same movement.
Hold a Dumbbell between both hands and on each rep both arms will move overhead at the same time. Start with a 10lb dumbbell and go from there.
2. Add Bands to hands.
This will look the same as above in that you can have bands with handles and hold a handle in each hand or have a loop band you hold with both. The variable resistance is nice here. What I mean by that is as you reach overhead the tension on the band lessens and as you move back to the start the tension increases making it more challenging while not over stressing your shoulders during the reach.
3. Change the tempo.
Add a longer pause once extended. Switching to a 2-2-2-1 or 2-3-2-1 tempo.
This can be done in addition to the progression above as well.
4. Add a crunch
In this progression you will kick one leg out and leave it for a set number of reps. After bringing your arm back to the center you will crunch up just enough for your head and shoulder to just barely leave the ground. Keep the whole movement under control and do not crash back down.
I would start at 5 per side (leg extended) and work up from there.
Can also be done with weights in hands.
5. Add a Single/Double leg raise.
You will kick out a leg just like the progression above except as your arm comes back to center, so does your leg. Keep it locked out and perform a set number of reps on one side before switching.
Again, I would start at 5 each and progress from there. Add weights once you get to 10 each side.
Can also add ankle weights but make sure you start off light with this. (1lb each leg)
Let us wrap this up!
As you can see, the deadbug is a versatile core exercise that can be added to almost any program. It is a fantastic way to build up strength in your core as you are starting off. In my personal program I like to use the base version to warm up my core for big leg days that way my brace is strong for my Squats, Deadlifts, and Hip Thrusts. I also work in some challenging progressions into my ab/core routines. In conjunction with curl ups, side planks and single arm carries, your core will be ready for anything, and your lower back will thank you. If you have any questions, please email me at _________.