A flat and defined stomach is desired by men and women alike and everyone wants to have a visible six-pack. But let's be honest - doing 100 crunches and sit-ups every day isn't much fun and gets super boring after a while. If you agree with us, then you've come to the right place! The dead bug exercise is becoming increasingly popular among fitness enthusiasts, and for good reason. How to do the exercise correctly? Which muscles are trained with the dead bug exercise and what variations are there? You can find all of this and the most common mistakes you should avoid in our article!
Dead-Bug Exercise: These muscles are stressed
Whether oneWand-Pilates-Challenge, planks or sit-ups alternatives - there are now a lot of exercises and workouts that promise us a flat stomach. The dead bug exercise also uses several muscles at the same time, making the exercise ideal for anyone who wants to build strength and get fitter. Here is an overview of which muscles are trained during the Dead-Bug abdominal exercise:
- Rectus abdominis (straight abdominal muscles)
- Oblique abdominal muscles
- erector spinae (inner Rückenmusculature)
- Posterior and anterior deltoids
- Core muscles
- Pelvic floor
This is how the dead bug exercise is carried out
Although it seems fairly simple at first glance, the dead bug exercise is a complex movement that requires a lot of concentration and constant engagement of multiple muscle groups. As with all other exercises, correct technique is key here and so that you get the most out of your training, we'll explain step-by-step how to do dead bugs correctly.
- Lie on your back on an exercise mat and stretch your arms towards the ceiling.
- Lift your feet off the floor and bring your knees up until they form a 90-degree angle to the floor.
- Keep your back on the floor.
- Look upwards and extend your right leg forward while at the same time bringing your left arm back over your head in a controlled manner.
- Slowly and controlledly return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
- During execution, make sure that your lower back always remains on the floor and does not form a hollow back.
Different variations to increase the difficulty
In order to ensure that results are not missed when exercising, it is important to constantly challenge our bodies. Once you have mastered the classic execution of the dead bug exercise, you can increase the level of difficulty by trying out different variations.
Add weights
Adding weights is probably the easiest way to make the dead bug exercise more difficult. Hold two short dumbbells in each hand and perform the exercise as described above.
Dead bug exercise with medicine ball
Adding a medicine ball also strengthens your core muscles and improves your coordination.
- Start in the classic dead bug position, clamping a medicine ball between your legs and arms.
- Carry out the movement as described above, being careful not to let the ball fall. Here's a little tip - the easiest way to do this is to slowly push the ball from one side to the other as you straighten your leg and arm.
You should avoid these mistakes
As with other exercises, there are a few mistakes with the dead bug exercise that you make, especially at the beginning. So that this doesn't happen to you and you get the most out of the exercise, we'll explain what you should pay attention to.
- The back forms a hollow back –A hollow back is definitely one of the most common errors and can lead to severe back pain over time. To avoid this, tense your abdominal muscles strongly and make sure that your back always remains on the floor during the execution.
- You are doing the exercise too quickly –Do not confuse the exercise with bicycle crunches! You should always perform the exercise at a slow pace and with controlled movements. If you use too much momentum, the effect of the training will be reduced.
- You forget to breathe –This is also a mistake that often occurs. Controlled breathing makes movement significantly easier during execution and can therefore significantly improve muscle control and activation.
