Dead bug heel taps
The dead bug with the arms left out: the hands stay flat by the hips and one bent leg at a time lowers to tap the heel, which asks less coordination and trunk control.
Trunk control family
Dead bug heel taps
DemandEasy
Equipment requiredBodyweight + Floor space
Muscle focusAbs · Hip flexors
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Source-researched guide. Clinical review is pending.
How to move
- Lie on your back with the hips and knees bent to right angles, the shins level, and the hands flat on the floor by the hips.
- Keeping the knee's bend, lower one leg slowly until the heel touches the floor.
- Bring it back up to the start, then lower the other.
Form cues
- Keep the low back resting on the floor; stop the leg short of the floor if it starts to arch.
- Breathe out as the leg lowers.
Practice and cautions
No universal dose is assigned. Choose a manageable amount for your current capacity, leave room for controlled repetitions, and allow recovery. A clinician’s individual plan takes priority.
In pregnancy, after the first trimester, keep time flat on your back to a few minutes: prop your upper body up, or use a side-lying or all-fours version. Roll onto your side if you feel dizzy, sick or unwell. This is movement education, not an assessment or treatment prescription. Stop for sharp or increasing pain, dizziness, numbness or tingling; seek individual guidance for symptoms, injury or restrictions.
Sources and review status
Sources support the educational description; they do not establish that this exercise is suitable for you.
- ACE · Supine dead bug (beginner; the heel lowers toward the floor from knees over hips) ↗
- Chan 2020 · The Sahrmann core test, its levels progressively harder (one heel lowered to the floor from 90/90 is level 2) ↗
No variation is labeled clinically validated.
What it works
Equipment
None: body weight and floor space.
Level
Beginner. See the easier and harder options above.
Workouts that use it
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Pain guides that use it
Part of a staged plan, with when to get help first.
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Guides that use it
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- Pilates for bloating guide
- Pilates for carpal tunnel guide
- Pilates for headaches guide
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- Pilates over 50 guide
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- Exercise for endometriosis
- Exercise for IBS
- Exercise with Crohn's and colitis (IBD)
- Exercise with a hernia and after hernia surgery
- Exercise after a hysterectomy
- Rhabdomyolysis (rhabdo) and exercise
- Exercise with a stoma
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- Exercise after appendix removal (appendectomy)
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Similar moves
3D demoDead bugBeginner · No equipment
3D demoAlternating heel touchBeginner · No equipment
3D demoAb wheel rollout from the kneesAdvanced · An ab wheel
3D demoBanded decline sit-upIntermediate · A band + A bench or box
3D demoBench leg pull-inIntermediate · A bench or box
3D demoBent-knee hip raiseIntermediate · No equipmentBrowse more
Questions people ask
What muscles does the Dead bug heel taps work?
Mainly the abs, with help from the hip flexors.
What equipment do I need for the Dead bug heel taps?
No equipment: your body weight and a little floor space.
Is the Dead bug heel taps good for beginners?
It is graded beginner, so it suits most people starting out. When it feels easy, try the Forearm plank.
What is an easier alternative to the Dead bug heel taps?
Try the Bent-knee fall-out or the Knee fold. It is the suggested step down from this move.
How do I make the Dead bug heel taps harder?
Progress to the Forearm plank or the Leg pull-in. Follow that guide’s technique and any stated timing.