Why You Should Add the Dead Bug Exercise to Your Ab Routine — and How to Do It Right

The dead bug exercise is one of the best ab exercises you're probably not doing.

A small, no-crunch core movement, the dead bug requires a little extra coordination. But once you get the hang of it, you'll be on your way to a stronger foundation, which can decrease back pain, make everyday tasks like walking and lifting heavy objects easier and improve athletic performance.

"Almost anyone can benefit from the dead bug, as it teaches you to engage your core," Caroline Freeman, group fitness manager at Crunch Fitness, tells LIVESTRONG.com.

Not only is an engaged core required for exercises like squats and deadlifts, it's also a key component to almost all other types of exercise, like archery or Zumba, for instance.

Performed on a regular basis, stabilization exercises like dead bugs can also help alleviate chronic lower back pain, especially when paired with walking, according to a June 2019 study in the journal ‌Medicine‌.

The dead bug is an ab exercise that uses controlled, isolated movements. The starting position is flat on your back, with your arms pointing straight up in the air and both legs bent up at a 90-degree angle, resembling — what else? — a dead bug.

Slowly and with control, you alternate lowering one arm over your head while extending the opposite leg to the ground and bringing them back up while keeping your core engaged and your lower back pressed to the floor.

Beginners should start with 3 sets of 5 reps. In two weeks, if you can keep your lower back in contact with the floor for the full extension and duration of the exercise, increase to 4 sets of 8 reps. Work up to 5 sets of 12, and add in variations (like the ones below!) to increase the intensity.

You can do dead bugs every day or work them into your rotation of core-stabilizing exercises like bird dog, bridge and plank.

"Everyone can benefit from a dead bug," Freeman says. Beginners can use it to strengthen and stabilize their cores, while more experienced athletes can progress to more advanced variations.

Starting each workout with a warm-up that includes dead bugs can send a signal to your muscles (from head to toe) that they're about to get busy.

The dead bug is targets your lower abs, called the transverse abdominal muscles, and the muscles that run along your spine, the erector spinae, which support your lower back.

A few rounds will activate your trunk and core through isolation and stabilization to prevent back pain and promote more fluid movement.

"Commonly practiced compound movements, such as squats, deadlifts, push-ups and pull-ups, require the isolation and stabilization of the trunk to prevent back pain," Freeman explains.

Core stabilizing exercises like the dead bug put the focus on the muscles of the lower abs and pelvis, according to the American Council on Exercise. Improved strength along the entire front of your core provides more support to the back, helping to decrease pain and make everyday movements easier.

Moves like dead bugs that involve your whole body activate your brain in a pretty remarkable way. The dead bug "requires both sides of the brain to work together, because limbs on both sides of the body have to move synchronously (called a contralateral movement pattern)," writes personal trainer Brett Klika for the American Council on Exercise.

Contralateral movement reinforces the connection between the two hemispheres of the brain to improve coordination, which makes these types of exercises a smart move for people of all fitness levels.

The dead bug exercise doesn't require any equipment, so you can do it just about anywhere, at any time. "Incorporating dead bugs at the beginning of your workout program will help prime your core muscles for compound movements," Freeman says.

Try adding them to your warm-up, a HIIT cardio workout or a core routine. A mat can be helpful, but it's not necessary.

This seemingly simple movement is harder than it looks. Dial back the intensity when you're first starting out with these tweaks.

The first few times you perform the exercise, use a yoga block, foam roller or or stability ball to keep one arm and one leg in place.

It's fairly common to experience clicking in your hips as your legs extend in the dead bug, Freeman says. To troubleshoot, don't extend your knee when you lower your leg to the floor.

Once you can perform 5 sets of 12 repetitions of the basic dead bug with ease, try these variations to keep your midsection challenged. Only attempt these if you can keep your back from arching off the ground.

Increase the work for your core by keeping your legs straight throughout the entire exercise.

Hold a weight, like a dumbbell, while doing the dead bug exercise to increase the resistance and boost your muscle gain.

This not only calls on your core even more, it also taxes your legs and glutes.

You can feature the dead bug in any number of different exercise plans, but if you want some ideas for ab workouts where it's a perfect fit, try: