Bird Dog

What you'll gain

• Trains the trunk to stay stable while the arms and legs move independently.

• Requires no equipment and no floor space beyond a mat, so it suits home programming.

• Loads the spine lightly, which makes it usable early in low back conditioning.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. 1

   Kneel on a mat and set each hand below its shoulder and each knee below its hip.

2. 2

   Brace your abdominals and set your spine flat with your neck in line with your back.

3. 3

   Extend one leg straight behind you until it is roughly parallel to the floor.

4. 4

   At the same time reach the opposite arm forward to shoulder height, keeping the hips level.

5. 5

   Hold briefly while resisting any rotation through the pelvis.

6. 6

   Return the hand and knee to the floor under control, then repeat on the other side.

Common Mistakes

• Letting the hips rotate toward the lifted leg, which removes the anti-rotation demand entirely.

• Lifting the leg above hip height, which arches the lower back instead of loading the core.

• Letting the chest sag between the shoulder blades, which shifts support onto the shoulder joints.

• Rushing the reps, which replaces core control with momentum and balance corrections.

About This Exercise

The bird dog is performed on hands and knees, extending one arm forward and the opposite leg back while the spine stays neutral. Nothing about the trunk is supposed to move, which is the point: the rectus abdominis and transverse abdominis resist extension while the obliques resist the rotation created by the offset limbs. The erector spinae work alongside them to hold the segment in place, and the glute of the extended leg produces the hip extension. Range is dictated by control, so the limbs only travel as far as the low back can stay still. In a product catalog the bird dog is one of the most requested core clips because it appears in warm-ups, low back programs and beginner onboarding alike. The three-quarter angle shows the hip and shoulder alignment that written cues fail to communicate.

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