Dead Bugs Hurt Your Back? Here's Why (And How to Fix It)

If dead bugs hurt your back, it doesn't mean they're not for you. It usually means you've gone beyond the range you can control. Stay with me, because this one fact changes how you approach core work, and honestly, how you avoid injury when starting strength training over 40 altogether.

Why does my back hurt when I do dead bugs?

Your lower back is lifting off the floor. That's it. When your leg lowers too far, or your arm reaches back too far, your pelvis tips and your lower back arches up. Your core has let go, and now your back is doing the work instead.

Dead bugs are meant to teach your core to hold steady while your limbs move. The second your back lifts, you've lost that. You're not failing the exercise. You've just found your current edge.

So what do I actually do?

Less range. More control. Lower your leg only as far as you can without your ribs flaring or your back peeling off the floor. For some of us, that's a few inches. For others, it's halfway. It doesn't matter. What matters is that your core stays connected the whole time.

Keep your ribs heavy. Imagine your ribcage sinking into the floor. That connection is your anchor. Move slowly. If you rush, you'll overshoot. And only go as far as you can while keeping your lower back flat.

This is not about less effort. Holding a smaller range with full control is harder than flinging your leg down and hoping for the best. You'll feel your abs working properly. Your back will thank you.

Does this apply to other exercises too?

Yes. This is the thing about how to avoid injury when starting strength training over 40. We've been sold this idea that more range equals better. That if you can't touch the floor in a deadlift or get your chest to the ground in a press-up, you're not doing it right.

But your safe range is not the same as someone else's. And it's not fixed. Some days you'll have more. Some days less. Your body is not a problem to solve. It's just asking you to meet it where it is.

Work within the range you can control, and that range will grow. Push past it, and you'll either hurt yourself or spend the whole session bracing and holding your breath, which helps no one.

What about when I get stronger?

Your range will increase as your core gets stronger. You'll lower further without your back lifting. You'll press deeper without your ribs flaring. But you don't force it. You let it happen.

This is especially true if you're starting strength training in your 40s. Your body is different now. Your recovery is different. Your tolerance for rubbish form is lower. That's not a weakness. It's your body being efficient. It won't let you get away with what it used to, and that's a gift.

I see this all the time with the women I train. They come in thinking they need to do what the 25-year-old on Instagram is doing. Full range. Fast pace. Heavy load. And they end up hurt, frustrated, or convinced their body is broken.

It's not. You just need to train it like the capable, intelligent thing it is. And that starts with control.

What does good form actually feel like?

You should feel your abs working, not your hip flexors yanking. Your breath should stay steady, not held. Your lower back should feel supported, not strained. If any of that shifts, you've gone too far.

Good form is not about looking right. It's about feeling right. And feeling right means your body can do the movement tomorrow, and next week, and in six months when you're properly strong.

Less range. More control. That's the fix.

If you want to train with me live and learn how to move with proper control, no guessing, just real strength that works in your actual life, come and join a session. I'd love to have you.