Back Progression: Bird Dog Lean

Now that you have mastered the bird dog exercise, you're ready for an additional challenge. Introducing the bird dog lean exercise.

How can I benefit by learning this exercise?

Building strong back, buttock, and hip muscles helps protect your back and can even help alleviate discomfort. The bird dog lean exercise adds a dynamic dimension for improving muscle coordination and stability in the back and buttock muscles.

How do I perform this exercise?

Get into a crawling position on your hands and knees. Place your hands, directly below your shoulders and your knees directly below your hips. Begin by positioning your back in neutral and activating your core muscles, drawing in your lower abdominal muscles. Next, raise one arm directly in front of you and one leg behind you. As you hold this “bird dog” position, keep your lower abdominal muscles engaged as you begin to slowly lean your body forward, holding momentarily. Then slowly lean your body in the opposite direction bringing your hips toward your heels. In order to keep your back in the neutral position as you lean forward and back, you'll need to actively draw in your abdominal muscles as you lean forward and begin to relax them as you lean back.

How many and how often should I do this exercise?

• Sets: 2 - 3
• Repetitions: 10
• Hold: 1 - 2 seconds
• Perform: 1 - 2 times per day

Are there other recommendations I need to be aware of?

Remember that in order to keep your back in the neutral position as you lean forward and back, you'll need to actively draw in your abdominal muscles as you lean forward and begin to relax them as you lean back. To help keep your back steady, imagine there’s a glass of water sitting on your low back. You'll need to keep extra stable to avoid spilling the water.

What should I watch out for while doing this exercise?

Move slowly while doing the exercise to allow gravity to challenge your back and buttock muscles. At all times, keep your back in the neutral position and avoid tilting your hips up or down as reach your arm forward and the opposite leg back. Attempt to keep your lower abdominal muscles engaged in order to keep your back in neutral while doing this exercise. If at first you find it difficult to maintain the neutral position while leaning, you may want to modify the exercise by touching your lead hand or foot to the surface to steady yourself.