The Bird Dog
The bird dog is a great anti-rotation exercise to train spinal stability and proper core bracing. Similar to the dead bug, the focus of this exercise is on keeping the spine and pelvis stable as the opposite arm and leg move.
While it might look underwhelming or too simple to be effective, bird dogs are deceptively challenging and tough for most people to do right. The shoulders, glutes, and midsection should all be working hard. If it feels easy or like you could do it all day, there is a good chance you’re not executing it properly.
- Start on all fours with hands under the shoulders and knees under the hips.
- Keep your chin tucked and back flat.
- Brace your midsection and slowly lift your hand and opposite knee off the floor.
- Extend the arm overhead and leg straight back while not letting anything else move.
- Pause at the end range of motion, squeezing the glute of the working leg.
- Bring the hand and knee to the starting position while keeping the midsection braced.
A well-executed rep should look like a straight line from hand to heel. You can see in the first video that I struggle to fully extend my arm overhead, so I have something to work on!
The last two videos highlight some common mistakes I see.
The first is excessive arching of the spine in order to extend the arm and leg. A good tactile cue to keep a neutral spine is placing foam roller lengthwise on your back and trying to not let it move.
Another mistake is rotating the hip and foot up toward the ceiling. The leg should go straight back with toes pointed down to the floor.
I usually include bird dogs as part of the warm-up sequence before engaging in strength and endurance training, but it’s one you can do throughout the day to combat stiffness and poor posture after long periods of sitting.
As with every exercise, being intentional and prioritizing quality over quantity is key. Rushing through reps and using sloppy form completely defeats the purpose of the exercise. Remember, every rep of every exercise you do is either leading you to better health and performance or future injury by reinforcing bad movement patterns, so take the time to do it right!