The bear plank bird dog is the hardest bodyweight core move I’ve ever tried — here’s what happened when I did it for a week
It’s a testing move and one seemingly designed to make you look ungainly. The bird dog aspect means stretching out your left arm and right leg, then your right arm and left leg, while keeping your knees raised and back straight. It sounds tough, but it’s much tougher than that.The bear plank with shoulder tap is an intense move that works your transverse abdominis muscles (the deepest layer of the abdominals), which are vital for the prevention — and even treatment — of low back pain.
- ▪It’s a testing move and one seemingly designed to make you look ungainly.
- ▪The bird dog aspect means stretching out your left arm and right leg, then your right arm and left leg, while keeping your knees raised and back straight.
- ▪It sounds tough, but it’s much tougher than that.The bear plank with shoulder tap is an intense move that works your transverse abdominis muscles (the deepest layer of the abdominals), which are vital for the prevention — and even treatment
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| Publication time | Sat, 26 Sep 2026 05:00:00 +0000 |
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Wellness Fitness Workouts The bear plank bird dog is the hardest bodyweight core move I’ve ever tried — here’s what happened when I did it for a week Features By John Carroll Published 26 September 2026 Strength, balance, sense of self — this move challenges everything When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Getty/Luca Sage) Copy link Facebook X Reddit Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Last month, I did the bear plank shoulder tap every day for a week and, while I found it an effective exercise for the deep core and upper arms, it is not one I’ll be adding to my roster.
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