Bird Dog Exercise
The bird dog exercise is a core strengthening exercise that works both abdominal and back muscles. To do this exercise well, you will need to keep your body posture steady as you lift your arm and leg.
To perform this movement:
- The starting position, kneeling on your hands and knees; line the hips directly over the knees and the shoulders over the wrists
- Keep the shoulders wide and pull them down your back
- Elbows should not be locked, but arms should be lengthened
- Imagine a string running from the top of the head down to the tailbone
- Begin by inhaling and exhaling before beginning the movement to ensure core engagement and stabilization
- Begin by extending the right leg to hip height. Ensure the hip bone on the right side is neutral; do not allow it to turn out to the side wall, but rather keeping it pointing down toward the mat
- If stable, lift the left arm and extend it to shoulder height
- Hold for 3-5 seconds and return to the starting position; shoulders aligned with wrist and knees under the hips. You will want to avoid brining the feet together (like a tripod), keep the leg extended straight out from the back of the knee resting on the shoelaces
- Repeat on the opposite leg and arm until you have completed your desired repetitions