Lower back exercise
Bird DogHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Main muscles
- Lower back, Abs
- Also works
- Glutes
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
How do you do the Bird Dog?
- Kneel on all fours with hands under your shoulders and knees under your hips.
- Tighten your stomach to keep your back flat.
- Reach one arm forward and the opposite leg back until both are level with your body.
- Pause, then bring them back slowly.
- Repeat with the other arm and leg.
Cues
- Keep your hips level.
- Reach long, not high.
- Back stays flat like a table.
Common mistakes
- Lifting the leg too high: stop when it is level with your hips.
- Hips twisting open: keep both hips pointing at the floor.
- Rushing: move slowly and pause at full reach.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
The version in our demo
Classic all-fours bird dog, opposite arm and leg reaching together, brief pause at full reach, then the other side. This is ACE's and NASM's version.
Starting position
On all fours on a mat. Hands flat directly under the shoulders, about shoulder width apart, fingers forward; knees directly under the hips, hip width apart (15–20 cm); toes tucked under (tops of the feet flat on the floor is just as good). Back flat (neutral, neither sagging nor rounded), head in line with the spine, eyes on the floor between the hands. Abdomen braced.
The movement
At the same time, slide the left leg back and straighten it, then raise it until it is at or near parallel to the floor, while the right arm reaches straight forward to the same height, thumb up. Pause briefly, then return both limbs along the same path to the start and repeat with the right leg and left arm. The trunk, pelvis and head stay still: hips stay level, no twist, no extra arch in the lower back.
Breathing
Breathe out as the limbs reach, in as they return.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
- Start: hip flexion 90°, knee flexion 90°, shoulder flexion 90° (arms vertical), elbows straight.
- End leg: hip flexion 0° (thigh in line with the trunk, horizontal), knee flexion 0°, toes pointing back; heel no higher than the hip (source: "at, or near parallel").
- End arm: shoulder flexion about 170–180° (arm horizontal beside the head), elbow straight, hand at head height.
- Path: hand travels in a forward arc, foot slides back then rises in a backward arc.
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Bird Dog is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
