Author: Marissa

Deadbug Exercise

The Deadbug is an awesome abdominal exercise. In this post, we will discuss the benefits of this movement, how to correctly perform it and how to incorporate it into your training program.

Benefits of the Deadbug

The Deadbug is a versatile exercise that will strengthen your abdominals and surrounding muscle groups. Additionally, this exercise can be regressed for beginners or made more difficult for more advanced trainees—so no matter your fitness level you can benefit from this simple movement. Finally, the Deadbug helps you learn and reinforce proper spinal and pelvic positioning while you create movement through your arms and legs. Reinforcing good positioning can help you maintain those positions while performing more complex sports movements like squats, deadlifts or clean and jerks.

How to Perform the Deadbug

To properly perform the Deadbug, lie on your back with your back pressed flat into the floor. Lift your arms off the floor and position your arms straight over your shoulders. Lift your feet off the ground and bend your knees about 90 degrees. Place your knees right over your hips with your knees bent. This is your start position. Keeping your arms straight, slowly lower one heel to the floor as you also lower your opposite arm to the floor. Hold one count and then return your arm and leg to your start position. Repeat the same lowering action on your opposite arm and leg. Make sure to keep your back flat into the floor as you lower your arms and legs. Perform for your desired reps and sets.

How to Progress the Deadbug

Once the traditional Deadbug feels too easy for 3-4 sets of 8-15 reps on each side, you can progress this exercise to make it more difficult.
One option to progress this exercise is to wear ankle and hand weights or to hold onto 3-5 lb weights in each hand.

Another option to progress this exercise is to hold onto a band overhead that is affixed to a squat rack or other immovable object. With this option, the band supplies tension to your upper abdominals as you lower one leg and then the other. You can also progress this exercise by keeping your legs straight throughout.

How to Incorporate the Deadbug into your Routine

Try the Deadbug during your warm up to prime your body for good mechanics during your heavy compound movements. If you use this exercise as a primer, try just one set of 6-8 reps per side. Alternatively , you can use this exercise to train your abs. If using this to strengthen your abs and improve your pelvic and spinal positioning, try 3-4 sets of 8-15 reps per side towards the end of your workouts. Aim for 60 to 90 seconds of rest between sets. You can incorporate the Deadbug one or two times per week.

Closing Thoughts

What do you think? Have you tried the Deadbug exercise? Let me know in the comment section below. Looking for help with your exercise program? Learn more about my personal training or online coaching options.

Type two diabetes drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy have become exceptionally popular for off label use for weight loss. While I admit that I don’t have the medical expertise or credentials to claim that you should or should not take these medications, I have a few personal opinions about these drugs -and the public health and societal factors that made them so popular in the first place). First, some general information.

Stats and Statistics on Ozempic


Social effect
Muscle loss
Shifting blame for obesity
Lifestyle factors
Reduced reliance on diet and exercise
What happens when you come off of them
Health risks both known and unknown
The pharmaceutical industry and our increasing medicalization of conditions
Those who disagree with weight loss drugs are said to be fat shamers focused on personal responsibility


One of my issues with these medications is that the

Type two diabetes drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy have become exceptionally popular for off label use for weight loss. While I admit that I don’t have the medical expertise or credentials to claim that you should or should not take these medications, I have a few personal opinions about these drugs -and the public health and societal factors that made them so popular in the first place). Of course, I think that if taking these medications helps you lose weight and that benefits your health, that’s great. Of course, only you can decide if the risk/benefit trade off of taking one of these medications is worth it to you.

First, some general information.

Stats and Statistics on Ozempic


Social effect
Rather than an individual problem, obesity is a public health epidemic. Nearly two thirds of Americans are overweight or obese in 2025, and that number has soared in recent generations. In fact, the obesity epidemic is relatively recent. In 1950, only about xxx percent of people were overweight or obese. So what happened that caused Americans waistlines to skyrocket, quite literally?

On the input side of things, people started eating more. In 1950, the average caloric intake for men and women was xxx respectively. Portion sizes at restaurants swelled tremendously, and Americans increasingly relied on processed and fast food to feed their families. Food companies spent x to market highly processed and sugar laden food to adults and children. Food companies also invested millions in making food more highly palatable and addictive, designed to overwhelm our brains and make our hunger and fullness signals go completely haywire. Additionally, American families increasingly relied on fast food because Americans had less leisure time than ever before (thanks to stagnant wages, two income families).

On the output side of things, Americans move less and burn fewer calories per day than ever before. Many tasks have been automated, but Americans also get much less lifestyle activity than generations past. In part, this is due to increased suburbanization and white flight from the cities. As multi use zoning fell to the wayside and Americans no longer could safely walk to school, work or the grocery store and instead had to rely on highway trsvrl, Americans got less overall lifestyle activity than ever before. Additionally, jobs became more and more sedentary as deindustrialization occurred and the new information economy era dawned.

Therefore, in the last seventy years, the obesity rate has xxx. Remember that obesity is caused by a long term imbalance between calories in and out.
Muscle loss
Shifting blame for obesity
Lifestyle factors
Reduced reliance on diet and exercise
What happens when you come off of them
Health risks both known and unknown
The pharmaceutical industry and our increasing medicalization of conditions
Those who disagree with weight loss drugs are said to be fat shamers focused on personal responsibility


One of my issues with these medications is that the