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Lower back, hips and shoulders

Bird-Dog: Toes on Floor

Builds core and whole-body stability with more support than a classic Bird-Dog.

Stability / Core30 to 60 seconds
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How to do it

  1. 1

    Set up on hands and knees with a neutral back

    Hands under shoulders, knees under hips, back in its middle position. A block under the supporting hand is fine if your wrists prefer it.

  2. 2

    Slide one leg back, toes staying on the floor

    Draw the foot back along the floor rather than lifting it. Keeping that contact takes most of the balance demand away.

  3. 3

    Keep both hips square as the leg travels

    The toe contact is there so your pelvis can stay level, so check that the sliding side has not dropped or rolled open.

  4. 4

    Add the opposite arm if you want more

    Reach it forward at shoulder height while the toes stay down. Keep both hands grounded instead if the arm makes the hips shift.

  5. 5

    Change sides slowly for 30 to 60 seconds

    Reduce how far the arm or leg travels rather than rushing the changes.

What to watch for

The toe drag turning into a lean onto one side. The whole reason the toes stay down is a level pelvis, so watch that the hip of the sliding leg neither drops nor opens towards the ceiling.

Ways to adjust it

  • Toes grounded throughout
  • Reduce arm or leg range
  • Slide the leg back without lifting it
  • Keep hands grounded
  • Block under supporting hand

If this one is too much today

Try the gentler version instead. It asks less of you and does much the same work.

Other ways to do this movement

Every version below is the same movement set up differently, so one of them usually suits. See all Bird Dog versions in one place, ordered from gentlest to strongest.

Before you try it

Move within a range that stays comfortable. Stop if this brings on sharp pain, dizziness, or symptoms that travel down an arm or a leg, and speak to a clinician before repeating it.

One movement is a start. A session is the thing.

A few questions about your body and how it is today, and Vinys builds a session around it, including which movements to leave out.

Start your first session

From the clinically authored Vinys movement library.