Core · Bodyweight
Dynamic Bird Dog
How to do the dynamic bird dog, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- Isometric
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Start on hands and knees with a flat back and your hands under your shoulders, knees under your hips. Extend your opposite arm and leg out straight until they are in line with your torso, then draw your elbow and knee back in toward each other under your body. Extend and contract dynamically, keeping your hips and shoulders square, then switch sides.
- 1Feel your glute and lower back work to extend the leg, and your core
- 2brace as you draw elbow to knee
- 3Keep your hips and shoulders level so you don't twist
- 4Move with control through the full extend-and-crunch range
Common mistakes
- Don't let your hips rotate or drop to one side
- Avoid arching your lower back as you extend
- Don't rush; control both the reach and the tuck
Muscles worked
The dynamic bird dog mainly works the lower abs and lower back, with the upper abs, obliques, and glutes assisting.
- Lower AbsPrimary
- Lower BackPrimary
- Upper AbsSupport
- ObliquesSupport
- GlutesSupport
- LatsMinor
- Upper TrapsMinor
- Mid TrapsMinor
- Lower TrapsMinor
- HamstringsMinor
- Front DeltsMinor
- Hip FlexorsMinor
Kovo programs the dynamic bird dog for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More abs & core exercises
- How to do the ab wheel rollout
- How to do the ankle tap plank
- How to do the ankle taps
- How to do the resistance band dead bugs
- How to do the resistance band pallof press
- How to do the rollout
Last reviewed June 2026.