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The Pilates move featured in Tom’s Guide is an elevated dead bug: a controlled core exercise performed with a Pilates ball under your glutes. It is not a Pilates bird dog. In the version described by Tom’s Guide fitness editor Jane McGuire, you extend an arm and leg on the same side while the opposite hand presses against the bent leg. McGuire says she felt the exercise working after a few repetitions during a week of trying it; that is her personal experience, not evidence that it outperforms crunches.
What is the elevated dead bug?
McGuire’s October 3, 2026 Tom’s Guide feature identifies the move as an elevated dead bug from a “mini-meltdown” workout by Dani Coleman, Pvolve’s vice president of training. Coleman is also described as Jennifer Aniston’s trainer. The name can cause confusion: a bird dog is typically performed from hands and knees, while this variation is done lying on your back with a ball supporting the glutes.
The ball creates an added balance challenge. McGuire also notes that the limbs that are not extending can remain under tension. These are explanations of how the movement feels and functions in the feature, not results from a muscle-activation study or a controlled comparison with crunches.
How to do the ball-supported variation
You need an exercise mat and a small Pilates ball. Coleman uses a Pvolve ball, but Tom’s Guide says a similar Pilates ball can be used; the brand is not essential.
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- Set up: Lie on your back on a mat with knees bent and feet flat. Place the ball beneath your glutes. It does not need to be fully inflated.
- Find tabletop: Lift both legs so your hips and knees are bent, with knees at about 90 degrees.
- Brace: Engage your core before moving, keeping the pace deliberate rather than using momentum.
- Extend one side: Slowly reach one arm overhead and extend the leg on that same side away from your body. At the same time, let the opposite hand contact the thigh of the bent leg.
- Return and switch: Bring the extended arm and leg back with control, then repeat on the other side.
- Count the set: Alternate sides until you have completed 15 repetitions per side, as described in the feature.
Keep the movement slow and controlled throughout. The ball is there to make the position less stable, not to encourage you to rush through the repetitions.
How it differs from the traditional dead bug
Tom’s Guide also mentions a traditional cross-body dead bug performed while balancing on the ball. The clearest distinction in the article is the movement pattern: the featured elevated version pairs the arm and leg on the same side, while the traditional version uses opposite arm and leg. The article does not provide comparative results showing that one is more effective.
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What the “torched my core” claim means
McGuire writes that she swapped the exercise into her routine for a week and felt its effects after a few repetitions. That is a subjective report, reflected in the headline’s “torched my core” wording. The feature does not describe a controlled trial, measured muscle activation, or evidence that this exercise is superior to crunches.
Her account is useful as a description of perceived effort, but it cannot establish how the exercise will feel for every person or whether it will produce a particular result. Treat it as one core-exercise option, not a guaranteed route to visible abs or a substitute for treatment of back pain or sciatica.
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Who should get personalized advice first?
Tom’s Guide advises beginners, pregnant or postpartum readers, and people recovering from an injury to seek personalized professional advice before trying the move. The feature mentions sciatica and lower back pain as reasons crunches may not suit everyone, but it does not establish that the elevated dead bug treats either condition. If an exercise causes pain or feels unsafe, stop and ask a qualified health professional for guidance.
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