WhatWorksWhat.
Abs

Dead Bug

Deep ab brace that builds the kind of strength you actually use in lifts.

Complexity · Lowstabilitybeginner+Bodyweight
  • Abs
  • Abs - Lower abs
  • Abs - Upper abs
  • Lower back
  • Upper abs
  • Lower abs

PrimarySecondary

What it hits

Parts of the target muscle.

  • Upper abs

    Hit

    Crunches - ribs move toward pelvis.

  • Lower abs

    Hit

    Leg raises - pelvis moves toward ribs.

The movement

Get it right, not roughly right.

Optimal form

0:30· National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM)

How to do a Dead Bug | Proper Form & Technique | NASM

Hold

Hold

Lying on the back, arms straight up, knees and hips at 90°. Lower the opposite arm and leg toward the floor SLOWLY. Lower back stays glued to the floor. Return, alternate sides.

Common mistakes

  • Lower back arching off the floor - the second it lifts, the rep is over.
  • Rushing - slow controlled reps train the anti-extension pattern.

Where you should feel it

Deep ab brace that builds the kind of strength you actually use in lifts.

Injury risk · 1/10

Variations

Same movement, moved emphasis.

Ranked by how directly each variation still trains abs. 80%+ means the target barely changes. Below 60%, the emphasis has meaningfully shifted — useful for variety, but less precise for the specific part. The label calls it at a glance.

  • Banded dead bug

    Band loop around the hands and feet.

    100% on target

    On target

    Same target, minor adjustment.

  • Dead bug with med-ball overhead

    Adds load above the head.

    100% on target

    On target

    Same target, minor adjustment.

Compare with another exercise

Cool-down

Worked it. Walk it back down.

A couple of minutes here pays back in soreness avoided tomorrow. Browse the full library.

  • Child's Pose

    Knees wide, big toes together. Sit hips back to the heels, arms long overhead, forehead to the floor. 60s. Walk the hands one direction to bias one side.

    LatsLower backRhomboids

  • Happy Baby

    Lying on the back. Grab the outsides of the feet, knees pulled toward the armpits. Gently rock side to side. 60s. The cheapest lower-back decompression you can do.

    GlutesLower backHamstrings

  • Seated Forward Fold

    Seated, legs straight in front. Hinge from the hips and reach the hands toward the feet. Don't force the back to round - go where it goes. 60s.

    HamstringsLower backCalves

Coach note

Before you do any heavy ab loading, master the dead bug. It teaches the brace that all other ab work assumes.