LiftMend › Exercises › Bird dog
Bird dog: how to do it
Trains your trunk to stay steady while your arms and legs move. Works: Deep core, back muscles and glutes.
Try: 3 × 8-second holds
Form cues
- Hands and knees, flat back.
- Reach one arm forward, opposite leg back.
- Keep your hips level.
- Imagine a glass of water on your lower back.
If bird dog hurts
Don't push through sharp pain. These are the swaps LiftMend suggests with a similar movement, easier or kinder first:
General exercise information, not medical advice. If you have pain that is sharp, getting worse, or follows an injury, check with a doctor or physio first.
Follow a plan, not a list
LiftMend builds exercises like this into short sessions that work around a sore back, knee or shoulder. Swap any move that hurts, get timers that run themselves, and ask the AI coach between sets. Free to download.