Downward Dog to Knee Drive

Muscles worked by the Downward Dog to Knee Drive

Primary

Hip FlexorsHip Flexor MusclesAbsRectus Abdominis

Secondary

Front DeltsAnterior DeltoidGlutesGluteus MaximusSerratusSerratus Anterior

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

Equipment

No equipment — this is a bodyweight exercise.

How to do the Downward Dog to Knee Drive

1. Set up in downward dog and lift one leg behind you into three-legged dog.
2. Press both hands down and shift the weight slightly forward.
3. Round the upper back and drive that knee forward towards the elbow or the nose.
4. Extend the leg back up to three-legged dog under control.
5. Finish the repetitions on that side and repeat on the other.

Form tips

• Let the upper back round as the knee comes in; a flat back stops the knee short.
• Keep the shoulders over the wrists as you shift forward rather than collapsing past them.
• Lift the leg only as high as the hips stay level on the way back out.

At a glance

Downward Dog to Knee Drive 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-to-knee-drive",
  "name_en": "Downward Dog to Knee Drive",
  "name_de": "Knie-Drive aus dem dreibeinigen Hund",
  "name_es": "Rodilla al Codo desde Perro de Tres Patas",
  "description_en": "From three-legged dog the lifted leg folds forward so the knee travels towards the elbow or the nose, then extends back up. The shoulders hold the position while the trunk does the folding, one side at a time.",
  "description_de": "Aus dem dreibeinigen Hund klappt das angehobene Bein nach vorn, sodass das Knie Richtung Ellbogen oder Nase wandert, und streckt sich wieder nach oben. Die Schultern halten die Position, den Rest macht der Rumpf - eine Seite nach der anderen.",
  "description_es": "Desde el perro de tres patas, la pierna elevada se pliega hacia delante para llevar la rodilla hacia el codo o la nariz y vuelve a extenderse. Los hombros sostienen la posición y el tronco hace el plegado, un lado cada vez.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "dynamic",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "intermediate",
  "body_part": "core",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "hip_flexors",
    "rectus_abdominis"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "anterior_deltoid",
    "gluteus_maximus",
    "serratus_anterior"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "endurance",
    "strength"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "core",
    "calisthenics"
  ],
  "is_unilateral": true,
  "is_bodyweight": true,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Set up in downward dog and lift one leg behind you into three-legged dog.",
    "Press both hands down and shift the weight slightly forward.",
    "Round the upper back and drive that knee forward towards the elbow or the nose.",
    "Extend the leg back up to three-legged dog under control.",
    "Finish the repetitions on that side and repeat on the other."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Geh in den herabschauenden Hund und heb ein Bein nach hinten in den dreibeinigen Hund.",
    "Druck beide Hände in den Boden und verlager das Gewicht leicht nach vorn.",
    "Runde den oberen Rücken und zieh das Knie nach vorn Richtung Ellbogen oder Nase.",
    "Streck das Bein kontrolliert zurück in den dreibeinigen Hund.",
    "Beende die Wiederholungen auf dieser Seite und wechsle."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Colócate en perro boca abajo y eleva una pierna por detrás a perro de tres patas.",
    "Presiona ambas manos contra el suelo y desplaza el peso ligeramente hacia delante.",
    "Redondea la espalda alta y lleva esa rodilla hacia el codo o la nariz.",
    "Extiende la pierna de vuelta arriba de forma controlada.",
    "Termina las repeticiones de ese lado y cambia."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Let the upper back round as the knee comes in; a flat back stops the knee short.",
    "Keep the shoulders over the wrists as you shift forward rather than collapsing past them.",
    "Lift the leg only as high as the hips stay level on the way back out."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Lass den oberen Rücken rund werden, wenn das Knie kommt; ein flacher Rücken stoppt es zu früh.",
    "Halte die Schultern über den Handgelenken, statt beim Verlagern darüber hinauszusacken.",
    "Heb das Bein nur so hoch, wie die Hüfte auf dem Rückweg waagerecht bleibt."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Deja que la espalda alta se redondee al entrar la rodilla; con la espalda plana la rodilla se queda corta.",
    "Mantén los hombros sobre las muñecas al desplazarte en lugar de pasarte por delante.",
    "Eleva la pierna solo hasta donde las caderas sigan niveladas al salir."
  ],
  "met": 5.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "start": "images/flat/downward-dog-to-knee-drive-start.webp",
      "peak": "images/flat/downward-dog-to-knee-drive-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-to-knee-drive");

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.