Opposite arm, opposite leg, quiet hips

Bird Dog

Hands under shoulders. Knees under hips. Reach one arm and the opposite leg. Hold. Switch. Your hips stay a table, not a boat.

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Hunter: Job-site days use these after a hinge. I count each side. If I cannot hold still, I shrink the reach. Wobbling is not a set.

Cues

Hands under shoulders. Knees under hips. Brace like a light plank.
Reach the right arm and the left leg. Long, not high.
Hips stay square. Do not rotate to make the limb look longer.
Pause a beat. Thumb and heel both point at the wall.
Bring them in without collapsing. Switch. That is one each side.

Setup

A mat or a towel. 3 sets of 8-10 each side. Rest about 45 seconds. Job-site Day 1 and post-shift Day 3 put these after the row or the hip thrust. If the floor is packed, a quiet corner is enough.

After a long shift

You already loaded your back at work. This is the reset, not a circus. Opposite limbs teach you to brace without a crunch. Log the reps. Leave. You do not need a cable woodchop because the machine was free.

Vs a dead bug

Dead bug is on your back. Bird dog is on all fours. Same idea: opposite sides, quiet middle. Use both in a week if you want. Do not mix them in one working set and call it the same number.

When it gets easy

Pause longer. Slow the return. A light ankle weight is later. Until then, longer holds beat a bigger kick. Engine should see bird dog, not a guess.

Common misses

Hiking the leg so the low back dumps. Reaching so far you twist. Rushing so it becomes a bird flapping. Also: holding your breath like this is a max lift.

FAQ

How high does the leg go?

Until it is in line with your body. Higher is usually a backbend.

Wrist pain?

Fists or a slight incline on a bench. The pattern still counts. Log it.

Log bird dogs in the free Vitality Engine. Count each side. Keep the hips quiet.

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