Dead bug
A floor core exercise where you extend opposite arm and leg while keeping your back settled.
Overview
The dead bug is a beginner-friendly core exercise done lying on your back with arms reaching up and knees bent over the hips. You slowly extend one arm overhead and the opposite leg out straight, then return and switch sides, all while keeping the lower back gently settled against the floor.
The slow, controlled movement teaches the core to stay stable while the limbs move — a skill that carries into many activities. Because it is low-impact and done on the floor, it is a common starting point for core work.
The movement
- 1Lie on your back with arms reaching up and knees bent over your hips.
- 2Slowly lower one arm overhead and the opposite leg toward the floor.
- 3Keep your core braced and your back settled down.
- 4Return to the start and switch to the other side.
Beginner notes
- Moving slowly makes the exercise more effective, not less.
- The lower back stays gently settled toward the floor throughout.
- A friendly starting point for core training.
A note on training information
Where it’s used
Sports this relates to:
Fitness
Strength and general fitness training — the foundation that supports every other sport.
Pilates
A low-impact mind-body method that builds core strength, control and posture through precise, controlled movement.
Functional Fitness
Varied, whole-body training built around everyday movement patterns like squatting, lifting and carrying.
Related exercises
Squat
A foundational lower-body movement where you bend at the hips and knees to lower down and stand back up.
Goblet squat
A squat variation where you hold a single weight close to your chest for balance and control.
Jump squat
An explosive squat variation where you spring off the floor at the top of the movement.
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Movement patterns
- RotationRotating the trunk to generate and transfer power through the body's kinetic chain, plus anti-rotation — resisting unwanted twist to keep the trunk stable.
- CatchReceiving a moving object and securing it under control, absorbing its momentum by yielding along its path so kinetic energy is dissipated rather than rebounded away.
- GlideGlide is continuous, low-resistance locomotion in which the body holds a streamlined shape so that momentum generated by a preceding propulsive action carries it smoothly across a surface or through a medium.
- ReachExtending a limb toward a distant point or object, often at full stretch, by projecting a distal segment beyond the body's resting envelope while a stabilised base preserves balance and control.
- SlideA slide is a controlled, low-friction skid of the body or foot along a surface, used to brake, extend reach, or hold a line, where managed friction and a lowered centre of gravity govern the movement.
Goals
- Reduce alcoholHow activity and a fuller routine can support cutting back on alcohol — with professional support where needed.
- Quit smokingHow sport and activity can support a smoke-free routine — alongside proper professional support.
- Sports for seniorsGentle, enjoyable ways for older adults to stay active, with guidance where sensible.
- Return to sportEasing back into activity after time away, a long break or a period off through injury.
- Healthy agingStay active, steady and independent as you get older with a sustainable mix of gentle cardio, strength and balance work.
Lifestyle
- On vacationKeeping active while travelling — pool swims, walks, hikes and water sports that fit a holiday, not a routine.
- EveningUsing the evening to be active after work, whether to unwind or fit in a proper session.
- At homeMovement you can do in your living room — from bodyweight strength to yoga — with little or no equipment.
- MorningFitting activity into your morning, from an early run to a gentle stretch, to start the day moving.
- No equipmentActivities and workouts you can do with little or no gear, using mostly your own body.
Disciplines
- BackstrokeBackstroke is swum face-up with an alternating arm pull and flutter kick — the one competitive stroke where you breathe freely because your face stays out of the water.
- Top-Rope ClimbingA roped format where the rope runs up to an anchor at the top of the route and back down, so the climber is held from above throughout the ascent.
- Lead & Sport ClimbingA roped format where the climber ascends from the ground, clipping the rope into protection along the way while a belayer manages it below.
- ButterflyButterfly is swum with a simultaneous over-water arm recovery and an undulating dolphin kick — the most physically demanding stroke, built on rhythm and core-driven body movement.
- Freestyle WrestlingAn Olympic wrestling style where wrestlers may attack the legs and use holds below the waist to take down and pin their opponent.
Skills
- BalanceThe skill of keeping the body stable and controlled while still or moving.
- Front crawlThe fastest swimming stroke, using alternating arm pulls and a flutter kick while face-down.
- ThrowingThe skill of propelling the ball accurately and with control using the arm.
- Returning serveThe skill of reading and playing back an opponent’s serve to stay in the rally.
- RallyingThe skill of exchanging shots back and forth to build and win a point.