Weighted Dead Bug

Muscles worked

Setup

1. Lie flat on your back holding a weight plate with both hands directly over your chest with arms extended.
2. Raise your legs into a tabletop position with your knees bent at 90 degrees and stacked over your hips.
3. Press your lower back firmly into the floor, ensuring there is no gap between your spine and the mat.

How to do it

1. Inhale and slowly lower your right leg toward the floor while simultaneously lowering the weight plate back behind your head.
2. Stop just before your heel or the plate touches the ground, maintaining total control and a flat back.
3. Exhale and use your core to pull the weight and your leg back to the starting position.
4. Repeat the movement with the left leg, alternating sides for each repetition.

Form checklist

• Keep your lower back pressed into the floor at all times.
• Maintain a 90-degree bend in the stationary leg.
• Move with a slow, controlled tempo, taking 2-3 seconds for the lowering phase.
• Keep your arms straight or with a very slight, fixed bend in the elbows.

Pro tips

• Focus on the 'rib-to-pelvis' connection; imagine pulling your bottom ribs down toward your hip bones to maximize abdominal tension.
• The further you reach with the weight and leg, the more your spine will want to arch—fight this by bracing your abs harder as you reach the end of the range.

Make it harder

• Add a 2-second pause at the bottom of the movement when the leg and weight are fully extended.
• Perform the exercise with straight legs to increase the lever length and demand on the lower abs and quadriceps.

Frequently asked

What muscles does the weighted dead bug work?

The weighted dead bug primarily targets the abs and obliques, and also works the glutes as secondary muscles.

What equipment do you need for the weighted dead bug?

The weighted dead bug uses weight plate.

Is the weighted dead bug good for beginners?

The weighted dead bug is rated intermediate. Build a base with simpler variations first, then progress to it with light load and strict form.

Related exercises

• 3/4 Sit-UpBeginner · abs and obliques
• 45 Degree Bicycle Twisting CrunchIntermediate · abs and obliques
• 45 Degree Lean Back Alternate Knee RaiseBeginner · abs and obliques
• 45 Degrees Arms PlankIntermediate · abs, deltoids, obliques, and pectorals