Downward-Facing Dog

Muscles worked by the Downward-Facing Dog

Primary

CalvesGastrocnemiusHamstringsHamstring Muscles

Secondary

Lower BackErector SpinaeGlutesGluteus MaximusLatsLatissimus Dorsi

Also called: calf, calves, gastrocnemius, gastroc, hamstring, hamstrings.

Equipment

No equipment — this is a bodyweight exercise.

How to do the Downward-Facing Dog

1. Start on all fours with hands slightly ahead of your shoulders.
2. Tuck your toes and lift your hips up and back.
3. Straighten your legs and press your heels toward the floor.
4. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds, breathing steadily.

Form tips

• Bend your knees if your lower back rounds.
• Press the floor away to lengthen your spine.

At a glance

Downward-Facing Dog in German & Spanish

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

Related exercises

• Air Bike
• Double Kettlebell Dead Clean
• Double Kettlebell Swing Snatch
• Jump Rope
• Jumping Jacks
• Kettlebell Swing Clean
• One Arm Kettlebell Swing
• One-Arm Dumbbell Swing

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",
  "name_en": "Downward-Facing Dog",
  "name_de": "Herabschauender Hund",
  "name_es": "Perro Boca Abajo",
  "description_en": "An inverted-V stretch that lengthens the hamstrings, calves, shoulders and back at once.",
  "description_de": "Eine Dehnung im umgekehrten V, die gleichzeitig hintere Oberschenkel, Waden, Schultern und Rücken dehnt.",
  "description_es": "Un estiramiento en V invertida que alarga a la vez isquiotibiales, pantorrillas, hombros y espalda.",
  "category": "stretching",
  "force_type": "static",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "beginner",
  "body_part": "full_body",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "gastrocnemius",
    "hamstrings"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "erector_spinae",
    "gluteus_maximus",
    "latissimus_dorsi"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "mobility"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "mobility",
    "stretching"
  ],
  "is_unilateral": false,
  "is_bodyweight": true,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Start on all fours with hands slightly ahead of your shoulders.",
    "Tuck your toes and lift your hips up and back.",
    "Straighten your legs and press your heels toward the floor.",
    "Hold for 20 to 30 seconds, breathing steadily."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Beginne im Vierfüßlerstand, die Hände etwas vor den Schultern.",
    "Stelle die Zehen auf und hebe die Hüfte nach oben und hinten.",
    "Strecke die Beine und drücke die Fersen Richtung Boden.",
    "Halte 20 bis 30 Sekunden und atme ruhig weiter."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Empieza en cuadrupedia con las manos algo por delante de los hombros.",
    "Apoya los dedos de los pies y eleva la cadera hacia arriba y atrás.",
    "Estira las piernas y lleva los talones hacia el suelo.",
    "Mantén de 20 a 30 segundos, respirando de forma constante."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Bend your knees if your lower back rounds.",
    "Press the floor away to lengthen your spine."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Beuge die Knie, wenn der untere Rücken rund wird.",
    "Drücke dich vom Boden ab, um die Wirbelsäule zu verlängern."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Flexiona las rodillas si la zona lumbar se redondea.",
    "Empuja el suelo para alargar la columna."
  ],
  "met": 5.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "main": "images/flat/downward-dog-main.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");

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.