Introduction
There is a video below introducing the Bird Dog exercise, which I recommend taking a look at before you begin. There are a series of videos below and depending on your case, I may have started you at any number. I may have also given you different parameters or instructions, so when in doubt go with what I told you. Depending on your case, I may even just simply get you doing the exercise without the cuing that I describe in the videos, but introduce the cuing at a later date.
Description
The Bird Dog exercise is fairly well researched and known to activate key muscle groups in your core and lower back. These muscle groups are usually found to be dysfunctional in individuals with lower back pain and restoring their function through exercise can help a lot of people. This exercise may look easy, but there is a lot to think about. Make sure you go through these videos carefully to make sure you get the maximum benefit from Bird Dog!
Intro Video
What you should feel
We are aiming to feel a workout in your core and lower back, but there is a lot going on with these exercises. If you perform this exercise with the correct positioning and engaging the transverse abdominis muscle, it should help you to feel it in the right place!
Pain is not expected with these exercises, besides any discomfort associated with working your core muscles really hard. Stop this exercise if you are unsure about what you are feeling or if it is painful in an unexpected way.
Transverse Abdominis Activation
Instructions
Stop here before moving on! This exercise is crucial to understand before moving on to the other videos.
Here are the instructions, as per the video below:
- Start out lying on your back with your knees bent.
- Find the two bones that are on the front of your pelvis, on either side, called the ASIS (they are the most prominent). Sink your fingers in, on the inside aspect of this bone.
- Monitoring using your fingers: Imagine drawing the two bones (ASIS) together while trying to “hold your pee.” When you do this properly, your stomach should flatten out and you should feel the muscle where your fingers are contract / tense.
Parameters
mdkPHYSIO provides specific parameters to all patients. In general, for this exercise you will want to hold it for about 5 seconds to start and then relax for a few seconds, then repeat. Performing this at least once per day for about 5 minutes is a good start, but we typically aim higher than that! We will adjust how long you hold it for and how often you do this depending on how proficient you get.
Video
Bird Dog 1
Instructions
In Bird Dog 1 we are just using our arms but still focusing intensely on proper positioning and engagement of your transverse abdominis muscle.
Here are the instructions, as per the video below:
- Start out on all fours, with your hands directly under your shoulders and knees directly under your hips.
- To establish proper shoulder blade positioning, push yourself all the way up (so your shoulder blades roll all the way forward) and then let yourself sink all the way down to gain an awareness of your positioning. You are trying to find a position in the middle to maintain throughout the exercise.
- To establish proper low back positioning, do the “cat and cow” exercise by hunching your back all the way and then extending it all the way (if you can do this without pain) to gain an awareness of your lower back position. You are trying to maintain a position with a slight curve in your lower back throughout the exercise.
- Activate your Transverse Abdominis (TA) as per the video above.
- Once your TA is activated, maintain the activation and:
- Lift one arm up and down, maintaining your exercise positioning.
- Repeat with the other arm.
- Parameters are different for everyone, but to start off we usually alternating arms and counting to 3 seconds on the way up and down (going slow). See below for more information about parameters.
Key Points
Be careful, if you go too high you may find you start losing the activation of your transverse abdominis. You may also feel strain into your upper back. Height is not super important, so if you have to stop before you reach maximum arm elevation then that is fine. it is more important to maintain proper trunk alignment.
Feel free to stop in the middle of the exercise to re-establish proper positioning. You may have to go back to the first steps to make sure your lower back and shoulder blades are positioned appropriately! There are a variety of reasons why you may not be able to lift your arm(s) to full height before losing your starting position. Sometimes it just takes a little bit of practice.
Parameters
mdkPHYSIO provides specific parameters to all patients. In general, for this exercise you will want to go up and down one arm at a time, counting to 3 seconds going both up and down. Performing this at least once per day for about 5 minutes is a good start! I usually ask my patients to perform this exercise until they’re fatigued and can no longer perform it well, but it always depends on the case.
Video
Bird Dog 2
Instructions
In Bird Dog 2 we are just using our legs and focusing intensely on proper positioning and engagement of your transverse abdominis muscle.
Here are the instructions, as per the video below:
- Start out on all fours, with your hands directly under your shoulders and knees directly under your hips.
- To establish proper shoulder blade positioning, push yourself all the way up (so your shoulder blades roll all the way forward) and then let yourself sink all the way down to gain an awareness of your positioning. You are trying to find a position in the middle to maintain throughout the exercise.
- To establish proper low back positioning, do the “cat and cow” exercise by hunching your back all the way and then extending it all the way (if you can do this without pain) to gain an awareness of your lower back position. You are trying to maintain a position with a slight curve in your lower back throughout the exercise.
- Activate your Transverse Abdominis (TA) as per the video above.
- Once your TA is activated, maintain the activation and:
- Lift one leg up and down, maintaining your exercise positioning.
- Repeat with the other arm.
- Parameters are different for everyone, but to start off we are usually alternating legs and counting to 3 seconds on the way up and down (going slow). See below for more information about parameters.
Key Points
Be careful, if you go too high you may find you start losing the activation of your transverse abdominis. Make sure your lower back doesn’t arc. If you go up too high, you can end up extending your lower back an losing that starting position. Height does not matter as much as maintaining the proper alignment. There are a variety of reasons why you may not be able to lift your leg(s) to full height before losing your starting position. Sometimes it just takes a little bit of practice.
Feel free to stop in the middle of the exercise to re-establish proper positioning. You may have to go back to the first steps to make sure your lower back and shoulder blades are positioned appropriately!
Parameters
mdkPHYSIO provides specific parameters to all patients. In general, for this exercise you will want to go up and down one leg at a time. counting to 3 seconds both up and down. Performing this at least once per day for about 5 minutes is a good start! I usually ask my patients to perform this exercise until they’re fatigued and can no longer perform it well, but it always depends on the case.
Video
Bird Dog 3
Instructions
In Bird Dog 3 we are using both our arms and legs and focusing intensely on proper positioning and engagement of your transverse abdominis muscle.
Here are the instructions, as per the video below:
- Start out on all fours, with your hands directly under your shoulders and knees directly under your hips.
- To establish proper shoulder blade positioning, push yourself all the way up (so your shoulder blades roll all the way forward) and then let yourself sink all the way down to gain an awareness of your positioning. You are trying to find a position in the middle to maintain throughout the exercise.
- To establish proper low back positioning, do the “cat and cow” exercise by hunching your back all the way and then extending it all the way (if you can do this without pain) to gain an awareness of your lower back position. You are trying to maintain a position with a slight curve in your lower back throughout the exercise.
- Activate your Transverse Abdominis (TA) as per the video above.
- Once your TA is activated, maintain the activation and:
- Lift one leg up and the opposite arm up at the same time (we are combining Bird Dog 1 and 2), then lower them down at the same time. It is very important to maintain your positioning the entire time.
- Repeat with the other arm and leg.
- Parameters are different for everyone, but to start off we are usually alternating sides and counting to 3 seconds on the way up and down (going slow). See below for more information about parameters.
Key Points
Be careful, if you go too high you may find you start losing the activation of your transverse abdominis. Make sure your lower back doesn’t arc. If you go up too high with your leg, you can end up extending your lower back an losing that starting position. Height does not matter as much as maintaining the proper alignment. The same rule applies to your arms. If you feel strain into your upper back or like you’re losing your shoulder blade positioning, then don’t go up as high. There are a variety of reasons why you may not be able to lift your arms and legs as high before losing your starting position. Sometimes it just takes a little bit of practice.
Feel free to stop in the middle of the exercise to re-establish proper positioning. You may have to go back to the first steps to make sure your lower back and shoulder blades are positioned appropriately!
Parameters
mdkPHYSIO provides specific parameters to all patients. In general, for this exercise you will want to go up and down one leg and arm at a time. counting to 3 seconds both up and down. Performing this at least once per day for about 5 minutes is a good start! I usually ask my patients to perform this exercise until they’re fatigued and can no longer perform it well, but it always depends on the case.
