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Rest → load, working range

Joint angles · start → finish

Torso
86.0° → 86.0°
Hip
94.0° → 118.0°
Knee
96.0° → 110.0°
Shoulder
30.0° → 10.0°
Elbow
18.0° → 14.0°
Neck
-8.0° → -8.0°

Control

Dead Bug

3 × 8/side, lumbar flat, opposite arm and leg extending slowly.

Difficulty 1 of 52.8 METs · Light

Equipment

  • Mat

Muscle groups worked

  • Core
  • Hip flexors

What it buys you

Teaches the trunk to hold position while the hips work — the base of every controlled tempo.

Capacity trained

Control. Pelvic floor strength, speed and release. Governs timing, continence and orgasmic control.

Energy

Modelled kilocalories

Modelled energy cost for Dead Bug at 10, 20, 30 and 45 minutes for both reference bodies
Reference body10 min20 min30 min45 min
Male reference · 82 kg40 kcal80 kcal121 kcal181 kcal
Female reference · 68 kg33 kcal67 kcal100 kcal150 kcal

Energy figures are modelled from standard activity MET values (Ainsworth Compendium, 2011) and the ACSM equation, not measured on you. They scale linearly with your own body mass, so a body 10% heavier burns about 10% more at the same intensity.

kcal = METs × 3.5 × bodyweight(kg) ÷ 200 × minutes (ACSM)

Load is effort, not pain. If a movement hurts rather than works, stop and see a clinician. Lifting another person is strength training with a person-shaped load — build the pattern unloaded first.

Cross-reference

Positions this workout helps · 38

It serves Supine Base, Elevated / Bridged and Seated. Every position in those families is listed below, hardest first.

Honest framing

Training makes a posture available and sustainable. It is capability work, not a treatment for anything, and no single session changes a number. Consistency over eight weeks does.

Free PQ assessment · 6 min

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