Quadruped

Build Core Strength To Flaten The Abs While You Improve Posture, Balance, And Back Health 

The name quadruped clues you in on the starting position for this exercise and its modifiers. Quad means four and ped means feet. That means you’re down on all fours like an animal with four feet. 

These exercises are great for stability, balance, posture, and back health. They are also particularly good exercises to do to warm up for more intense core exercises and ab exercises.

The foundation is the basic quadruped.  It doesn’t look like much, but do it with proper form and breathing, and you will feel your core muscles wake up and respond.

Technique

• Start off on all fours, on your hands and knees.
• Make your thighs perpendicular to the floor.  Your knees will be bent at 90 degree angles.
• Place your knees hip width apart.
• Put our hands flat on the floor directly under your shoulders.  Check that your arms are perpendicular to the floor.
• Start by relaxing your core so that your back and mid-section are in a natural, neutral position.
• Keeping that position, contract your abs as tightly as you can and hold for 10 seconds.
• Breathe deeply throughout.
• That’s one rep.
  

Keep In Mind...

• Do not allow your back to either sag or round while you do this.  Keep it straight.
• Keep your head in line with your body.

Modifiers

Add some movements to bring the muscles of the lower back, hips, abs, and glutes into play.

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Fire Hydrant

Guess what quadruped animal this movement was named after. Pull your right knee toward your chest. It might raise that far.

Keep your back posture the same throughout the movement.

Keeping your right knee bent, raise your thigh out to the side without moving your hips.

Return to the starting position.

That’s one rep.

Do 10 then switch legs.

For modifiers to the modifier for this exercise, extend your leg one of two ways. 

First, extend your leg straight out to the side while your thigh is at the top position.  Hold.  Return to the bent position.

Next, extend your raised leg behind you so that your leg is in line with your back and upper body.  Hold.  Return to the starting position.

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Quadruped with a leg lift

This resembles the butt kickback, but it’s a little different. Start from the quadruped position.

Keep your back position the same throughout this movement.

Tighten your abs.

Extend one leg back until it is straight and in line with your upper body.

Contract your abs. Hold that position for 10 seconds.

Return to the starting position and switch legs.

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Bird Dog

This is a popular one because it’s great for stability and balance.  It's great for the lower back.

Do just like you did with the leg lift above, but also raise your opposite arm so that it is in line with your upper body and your thumb is pointing up.

Hold for 10 seconds.

The key here is to try to keep your back and hips still and in position throughout the movement even when you are switching arms and legs.

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Exercise Ball Bird Dog

The starting position is different because your stomach is on an exercise ball and your feet are on the floor on the balls of your feet.

Start with both hands flat on the floor and directly under your shoulders.

Now contract your abs and do the bird dog movement again raising one leg and the opposite arm until they are in line with the body.

Hold for 10 seconds.

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Cat Camel

This is a great core exercise to prepare you for any activity. Elongating your spine in small controlled movements like this can help align the nerves in the lower back to help avoid them from becoming pinched. In that way it can help reduce or prevent back pain. 

Start in the quadruped position. Slightly arch your lower back – just a little. Then lower your head between your shoulders and push your upper back towards the sky. That’s one rep. Move back and forth slowly and be gentle on both ends of this movement.

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