CaloSign inDead bug alternatives
The dead bug trains your core to keep the back still while the arms and legs move - the job your core does all day. These swaps train the same control on hands and knees or lying down.
No equipment 3
Bird dog
Opposite arm and leg, no rotation at the hips.
Start with 2 × 10 each side, build to 3 × 12 each side.
Works: core and back, with the glutes and shoulders
Tempo: 2s each way
Quadruped shoulder tap
Knees under hips, tap without the hips shifting.
Start with 2 × 10 total, build to 3 × 12 total.
Works: core and shoulders, with the obliques
Tempo: 2s each way
Skip with sore wrists.
Pelvic tilt
Stand with the back against a wall, gently flatten the low back into it, then release.
Start with 2 × 10, build to 3 × 12.
Works: core, with the glutes
Tempo: 2s each way
At the gym 1
Pallof press
Stand side-on to the cable, press the handle straight out and resist the twist.
Start with 2 × 10 each side, build to 3 × 12 each side.
Works: core and obliques, with the shoulders
Tempo: 2s each way
If something hurts
- With sore wrists: Bird dog, Pelvic tilt.
Start with the easier number and build up over a couple of weeks. Stop if something hurts, and ask a doctor or physiotherapist about pain that stays - this is general guidance, not medical advice.
Let the app do the swapping
CaloDaily plans your week of workouts around what you have - home or gym, dumbbells or none - and any joints to go easy on. Tap a move you can't do and it offers these same swaps, with the reps adjusted. Pair it with the calories burned calculator to see what a session is worth.
More exercise alternatives
Workouts planned around you, free
CaloDaily shows what is left to eat and to move, plans meals from your own pantry and builds workouts that fit you. No wearable needed, no ads.
