Push-Up to Downward Dog
What Is the Push-Up to Downward Dog?
Push-Up to Downward Dog is a compound exercise that primarily targets the chest and also engages the shoulders, triceps and core. It is an intermediate-level movement that joins a full Push-Up to a Downward Dog: you lower your chest to the floor from a high plank, press back up while driving your hips up and back into an inverted V, then shift forward into the plank again for the next rep.
The push-up provides the strength work, while the downward dog stretches the hamstrings and calves and takes the shoulders into overhead flexion with the arms straight and the body weight on the hands. Moving between the two positions also asks the core to control the trunk as the hips rise and lower, so the exercise trains strength, mobility and body control in one pattern rather than as separate drills.
Because it combines a pressing movement with a stretch, it is a common choice for warm-ups before upper-body or full-body sessions, for cooldowns, and for bodyweight circuits where a trainer wants pressing volume without losing mobility work. Done slowly with a brief pause in each position, it leans toward control and mobility; done at a steady pace for higher reps, it becomes chest, shoulder and triceps endurance work.
It is not the same as the Pike Push-Up. In a pike push-up the elbows bend while the hips stay high, so the press runs overhead and the shoulders do most of the work. Here the push-up happens in a flat plank, and the downward dog is held with straight arms.
The exercise suits anyone who can already do clean push-ups and wants to add shoulder and hamstring mobility to their pressing. If a full push-up is not there yet, build it with the Kneeling Push-Up or the Incline Push-Up, and practice the Plank and the downward dog on their own until both positions feel steady.
Muscles Worked
- Pectoralis Major
- Primary
- Deltoid
- High
- External Oblique
- Medium
- Rectus Abdominis
- Medium
- Biceps Femoris
- Minimal
- Gastrocnemius (Medial Head)
- Minimal
Instructions
- Start in a high plank with your hands flat on the floor about shoulder-width apart, fingers pointing forward, arms straight and your weight on the balls of your feet.
- Brace your core and squeeze your glutes so your body forms a straight line from head to heels.
- Bend your elbows and lower your chest until it is just above the floor, keeping your elbows angled back at about 45 degrees and your hips in line with your shoulders.
- Press the floor away, and as your arms straighten, drive your hips up and back into downward dog.
- In downward dog, keep your arms straight with your head between your upper arms, push your chest gently toward your thighs and reach your heels toward the floor, bending your knees if your back starts to round.
- Pause for one breath in downward dog.
- Shift your hips forward and down to return to the high plank, bringing your shoulders back over your hands.
- Inhale as you lower into the push-up, exhale as you press up and back into downward dog, and repeat for the desired number of reps.
Common Mistakes
Sagging hips
Letting the hips drop during the push-up puts strain on the lower back, so keep a straight line from head to heels.
Shallow push-up
Cutting the push-up short to hurry into downward dog removes most of the chest and triceps work, so lower your chest close to the floor on every rep.
Flaring the elbows
Elbows pointing straight out to the sides load the front of the shoulders, so keep them angled back at about 45 degrees from your body.
Rounding the back to reach the heels
Forcing the heels to the floor makes the spine round, so bend your knees and keep a long back, letting the heels hover if needed.
Shrugging in downward dog
Sinking the shoulders toward the ears collapses the position, so press the floor away and keep your upper arms beside your ears.
Rushing the transition
Throwing the hips up and dropping back into the plank loses control, so move steadily and arrive in each position with the core braced.
Injuries
Push-Up to Downward Dog is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. It uses only body weight, and both positions are ones most trainees already know, but the wrists, the front of the shoulders and the lower back can still take strain when form slips or mobility is limited.
The wrists support the body in extension through the whole set, which can irritate them during long sets or when wrist mobility is poor. Spread the fingers and press through the whole hand, including the base of the index finger, rather than sinking into the heel of the palm. The shoulders take strain when the elbows flare wide in the push-up or when the chest collapses toward the floor in downward dog, so keep the elbows angled back and press the floor away to keep the shoulders active. The lower back is at risk when the hips sag in the plank or when the spine rounds to force the heels down, so brace the core and bend the knees in downward dog if the hamstrings are tight.
To make it easier, do the push-up from your knees, then tuck your toes and lift your hips into downward dog, or practice the Kneeling Push-Up and the Downward Dog separately first. To make it harder, slow the lowering, pause at the bottom of the push-up, or lift one leg toward the ceiling while in downward dog.
Stop the set if you feel sharp pain in the wrists, shoulders or lower back, numbness or tingling in the hands, or lightheadedness as your head drops below your hips.
- Primary Focus
- Chest
- Equipment
- Body weight
- Modality
- Strength
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
Alternative Exercises
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: Do my heels need to touch the floor in downward dog?
No. A long spine and hips reaching up and back matter more than heel position, so bend your knees and let your heels hover if your hamstrings or calves are tight.
- Q: What if I can't do a full push-up yet?
Do the push-up from your knees, then tuck your toes and lift your hips into downward dog. You can also build the push-up separately with the Kneeling Push-Up or the Incline Push-Up.
- Q: How is this different from a pike push-up?
In a Pike Push-Up you bend your elbows while your hips stay high, which makes it an overhead press for the shoulders. In Push-Up to Downward Dog the push-up is done from a flat plank and the downward dog is held with straight arms as a stretch and transition.
- Q: Is it a warm-up or a strength exercise?
It works as both. A few slow reps with a short pause in downward dog make a good warm-up or cooldown, while steady sets of 8 to 15 reps in a bodyweight circuit build pressing endurance.
- Q: How long should I stay in downward dog?
A brief pause of one breath is enough to settle the position before you return to the plank. If you want a longer stretch, hold the last rep in downward dog for several breaths.