How to Do the Bird Dog
Start on your hands and knees. Place your hands directly under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
Tuck your toes and lengthen your spine so your back is flat from tailbone to head.
Reach your right arm straight forward and your left leg straight back at the same time.
Stop at shoulder and hip height, keeping your hips level and your gaze down at the mat.
Lower both together with control, then repeat on the other side.
Opposite arm and opposite leg is the whole point. Same-side limbs let your body twist and take the work away. Your erector spinae along the spine and your gluteus maximus hold the extended leg up, while your abs quietly stop your torso rotating toward the floor. Reach long rather than high: shoulder and hip height is plenty, and anything above that just arches your lower back.
Tips: Imagine balancing a glass of water on your lower back and keep it there the whole time. Move slowly, breathe out as you reach, and keep your neck long with your face toward the mat. If balance is the problem, slide the foot along the floor instead of lifting it.
Common Mistakes: Lifting the leg too high is the most common one, and it shows up as an arched lower back. After that: letting the hip on the reaching side pop upward, rushing the switch between sides, and lifting the head to look forward, which kinks your neck out of line with your spine.
Benefits: Bird dog builds the back and hip strength that keeps you steady when you bend, lift, twist or reach, and it does it without loading your spine. It also trains each side to hold its own, which is why it turns up so often in rehab after a bout of low back pain.
