Today's Fitness Friday features The Bird Dog.
About The Bird Dog
The Bird Dog is a core exercise that challenges the strength of your posterior chain.
Benefits
The Bird Dog exercise helps strengthen core muscles and stabilize the spine, particularly the lumbar region that supports most of the body. It also improves posture control, aligns the spine, reduces lower back pain, and strengthens the shoulder muscles.
Written Instructions
- Begin the bird dog by going down on all fours, knees positioned under hips and palms resting on the ground just beneath the shoulders. Your shoulders, back, and butt should remain flat through the exercise.
- Contract stomach muscles to prevent sagging or your back from arching. You should feel like there is increased pressure along your sides and your low back.
- Keeping your glutes squeezed, in a single, smoothly controlled movement, lift and extend your left leg and right arm up to a point where they are in line with your back and now parallel to the floor. Reach so you feel yourself long and stretched. Do not reach up towards the ceiling and remember to keep the core squeezed so your back always stays flat and the hips don't shift side to side.
- Hold the position for a few seconds, then smoothly lower your arm and leg back to their original position. Repeat with the other arm and leg.
