Downward Dog Knee Tuck

Muscles worked by the Downward Dog Knee Tuck

Primary

Hip FlexorsHip Flexor MusclesAbsRectus Abdominis

Secondary

Front DeltsAnterior DeltoidSerratusSerratus AnteriorDeep CoreTransversus Abdominis

Also called: hip flexor, iliopsoas, psoas, iliacus, hip flexors, abs.

Equipment

No equipment — this is a bodyweight exercise.

How to do the Downward Dog Knee Tuck

1. Set up in downward dog with the hands shoulder-width apart and the hips high.
2. Press the floor away and brace the trunk so the lower back stays long.
3. Draw one knee in towards the chest, rounding the upper back slightly as it comes in.
4. Extend the leg back to the starting position under control.
5. Repeat with the other leg and keep alternating for the desired number of repetitions.

Form tips

• Keep the hips high; letting them drop turns this into a mountain climber.
• Draw the knee in with the abdominals rather than by hopping off the standing foot.
• Push the shoulders away from the ears so the upper body does not sink between the arms.

At a glance

Downward Dog Knee Tuck in German & Spanish

Descriptions, instructions and tips ship in all three languages in the JSON.

Related exercises

• Ab Wheel Rollout
• Ball Pike
• Barbell Ab Rollout
• Bench Leg Pull-In
• Bicycle Crunch
• Bird Dog Hold
• Boat Pose
• Cable Crunch

Exercise data (JSON)

The record below is exactly what exercises.json ships for this exercise — names, descriptions, instructions and tips in English, German and Spanish.

{
  "id": "downward-dog-knee-tuck",
  "name_en": "Downward Dog Knee Tuck",
  "name_de": "Knieanziehen im herabschauenden Hund",
  "name_es": "Rodilla al Pecho en Perro Boca Abajo",
  "description_en": "A moving core drill held in downward dog: the hips stay high while one knee is drawn in under the chest and sent back to the start, alternating sides. The shoulders support the whole set, so the trunk works without the low-hip position of a plank.",
  "description_de": "Eine bewegte Rumpfübung im herabschauenden Hund: die Hüfte bleibt hoch, während ein Knie unter die Brust gezogen und wieder zurückgeführt wird, im Wechsel. Die Schultern tragen den ganzen Satz, sodass der Rumpf ohne die tiefe Hüftposition eines Planks arbeitet.",
  "description_es": "Un ejercicio dinámico de core sostenido en perro boca abajo: las caderas se mantienen altas mientras una rodilla se lleva bajo el pecho y vuelve al inicio, alternando lados. Los hombros sostienen toda la serie, de modo que el tronco trabaja sin la posición baja de cadera de una plancha.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "dynamic",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "intermediate",
  "body_part": "core",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "hip_flexors",
    "rectus_abdominis"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "anterior_deltoid",
    "serratus_anterior",
    "transverse_abdominis"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "endurance",
    "strength"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "core",
    "calisthenics"
  ],
  "is_unilateral": false,
  "is_bodyweight": true,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Set up in downward dog with the hands shoulder-width apart and the hips high.",
    "Press the floor away and brace the trunk so the lower back stays long.",
    "Draw one knee in towards the chest, rounding the upper back slightly as it comes in.",
    "Extend the leg back to the starting position under control.",
    "Repeat with the other leg and keep alternating for the desired number of repetitions."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Geh in den herabschauenden Hund, die Hände schulterbreit, die Hüfte hoch.",
    "Druck den Boden weg und spann den Rumpf an, damit der untere Rücken lang bleibt.",
    "Zieh ein Knie unter die Brust und runde dabei den oberen Rücken leicht.",
    "Streck das Bein kontrolliert zurück in die Ausgangsposition.",
    "Wiederhole mit dem anderen Bein und wechsle weiter für die gewünschte Anzahl an Wiederholungen."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Colócate en perro boca abajo con las manos a la anchura de los hombros y las caderas altas.",
    "Empuja el suelo y aprieta el tronco para que la zona lumbar siga larga.",
    "Lleva una rodilla hacia el pecho, redondeando ligeramente la espalda alta al entrar.",
    "Extiende la pierna de vuelta a la posición inicial de forma controlada.",
    "Repite con la otra pierna y sigue alternando las veces indicadas."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Keep the hips high; letting them drop turns this into a mountain climber.",
    "Draw the knee in with the abdominals rather than by hopping off the standing foot.",
    "Push the shoulders away from the ears so the upper body does not sink between the arms."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Halte die Hüfte hoch; sinkt sie ab, wird daraus ein Mountain Climber.",
    "Zieh das Knie mit der Bauchmuskulatur heran, statt dich vom Standfuß abzudrücken.",
    "Druck die Schultern von den Ohren weg, damit der Oberkörper nicht zwischen die Arme sackt."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Mantén las caderas altas; si caen, esto se convierte en un escalador.",
    "Lleva la rodilla con el abdomen en lugar de impulsarte con el pie de apoyo.",
    "Aleja los hombros de las orejas para que el tronco no se hunda entre los brazos."
  ],
  "met": 5.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "start": "images/flat/downward-dog-knee-tuck-start.webp",
      "peak": "images/flat/downward-dog-knee-tuck-peak.webp"
    }
  }
}

Fetch just this exercise

const { exercises } = await fetch(
  "https://exercise-dataset.com/exercises.json"
).then(r => r.json());
const ex = exercises.find(e => e.id === "downward-dog-knee-tuck");

Free for personal and commercial in-app use with attribution (“Exercise data by RepDB”) — see the license and ready-made attribution snippets. Redistributing the data as a dataset or API is not permitted.