Is the Bird Dog A Good Exercise For Your Back Plus One Test!

Is the Bird Dog A Good Exercise For Your Back?

Read More: https://backinshapeprogram.com/2022/03/is-the-bird-dog-a-good-exercise-for-your-back/

The Bird-Dog exercise is a common one that is regularly prescribed as a rehabilitative exercise for those with lower back pain. It's mechanisms, the way it works to help you, are very similar to many of the exercises that we choose to include in the program.

When you do the bird-dog, you must engage your core to stabilise your spine. You are then challenged and pulled in different directions as you move. Not only from a balance point, but also the muscles of your legs, arms, upper and lower back are then driving the relevant limb. In order to do this, they must pull on the trunk and the trunk must respond with stability.

The bird-dog is also scalable: by using resistance bands, weight's and more reps you can challenge this system more over time. Conversely, should you struggle, you can reduce the range of motion, or focus only on the arms or legs to begin with.

The big problem with this exercise, though, is that it is so easy to do without thought. It is, in many cases done, very easily with minimal engagement and minimal control. It is also very difficult to see visually if the control is sufficient, save for gross wobbling. It is for this reason that we are reluctant to recommend this exercise for those that are earlier on in the back rehab. It's just too easy to do poorly and thus, ineffectively.

This is why in the video above, we covered one tip, using a bottle, to make sure you know if you're doing it right or not! Give it a go and let us know how you get on!

#birddog #backexercise #coreexercise