Rotate + resist / Foundation
Dead Bug
Train trunk control while the arms and legs move away from a stable floor-supported position.
01 / Set up
Build the position.
- Lie on the back with hips and knees bent and arms reaching toward the ceiling.
- Set the trunk in a comfortable position that can remain quiet while breathing.
02 / Execute
Do the work.
- Slowly lower one heel and the opposite arm toward the floor.
- Stop before the ribcage, pelvis, or breathing changes to create more range.
- Return to the start and repeat on the other side with the same control.
Useful cues
Move away slowly
Keep the middle quiet
Exhale through the reach
03 / Troubleshoot
Common ways it drifts.
- Using a range that changes the lower-back position
- Rushing the return and losing side-to-side control
Exercise evidence field
What this page can claim.
Research can support a training category or expose a hazard without proving every stance, range, cue, or progression on this page.
3 evidence notes / 4 source linksResistance training is the supported category.
The 2026 ACSM position stand supports progressive resistance training for muscle function, hypertrophy, and physical performance in generally healthy adults, with multiple workable equipment and prescription choices.
- American College of Sports Medicine via PubMed CentralProfessional consensus
Range and cues remain adjustable.
A systematic review found that resistance-training range can affect strength and lower-limb hypertrophy, while a separate review found that attentional-focus effects vary across lifting tasks and populations.
- Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports via PubMedSystematic review
- Frontiers in Sports and Active Living via PubMedSystematic review
Trunk-control transfer is mixed.
A systematic review of 24 studies found mixed direct performance results and noted that core-stability work was often embedded inside broader training programs.
- Sports Medicine via PubMedSystematic review
Exercise source register
Inspect the instruction trail.
Sources support the notes above. They do not convert this editorial-review page into individualized coaching or medical clearance.
- 01Resistance Training Prescription for Muscle Function, Hypertrophy, and Physical Performance in Healthy Adults
American College of Sports Medicine via PubMed Central
Professional consensus / Accessed 2026-07-26 - 02Effects of Range of Motion on Resistance Training Adaptations: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports via PubMed
Systematic review / Accessed 2026-07-26 - 03A Systematic Review of Attentional Focus Strategies in Weightlifting
Frontiers in Sports and Active Living via PubMed
Systematic review / Accessed 2026-07-26 - 04The Effects of Isolated and Integrated Core Stability Training on Athletic Performance Measures
Sports Medicine via PubMed
Systematic review / Accessed 2026-07-26
Connected training