Upward-Facing Dog

Muscles worked by the Upward-Facing Dog

Primary

Lower BackErector SpinaeTricepsTriceps Brachii

Secondary

GlutesGluteus MaximusChestPectoralis Major

Also called: erector spinae, spinal erectors, lower back muscles, back extensors, tricep, triceps.

Equipment

No equipment — this is a bodyweight exercise.

How to do the Upward-Facing Dog

1. Lie face down with the hands beside the lower ribs and the tops of the feet on the floor.
2. Press the hands down and straighten the arms, lifting the chest and then the thighs off the mat.
3. Draw the shoulders back and down and keep the neck long.
4. Hold the position for the prescribed time with only the hands and the tops of the feet on the floor.
5. Bend the arms and lower down under control.

Form tips

• Keep the shoulders over the wrists rather than behind them.
• Press the tops of the feet down; that is what lifts the thighs.
• If the thighs cannot lift, stay in cobra instead of forcing the position.

At a glance

Upward-Facing Dog in German & Spanish

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

Related exercises

• Bird Dog Hold
• Bird-Dog
• Camel Pose
• Pilates Leg Pull Back
• Reverse Plank
• Reverse Tabletop Hold
• Sphinx Pose
• Supported Shoulderstand

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": "upward-dog",
  "name_en": "Upward-Facing Dog",
  "name_de": "Heraufschauender Hund",
  "name_es": "Perro Boca Arriba",
  "description_en": "A prone backbend on straight arms with the thighs lifted off the floor, so the arms and back extensors hold the chest open and the spine long.",
  "description_de": "Eine Rückbeuge in Bauchlage auf gestreckten Armen mit abgehobenen Oberschenkeln: Arme und Rückenstrecker halten die Brust offen und die Wirbelsäule lang.",
  "description_es": "Una extensión boca abajo sobre los brazos estirados con los muslos despegados del suelo, donde los brazos y los extensores de la espalda mantienen el pecho abierto y la columna larga.",
  "category": "stretching",
  "force_type": "static",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "intermediate",
  "body_part": "core",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "erector_spinae",
    "triceps_brachii"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "gluteus_maximus",
    "pectoralis_major"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "mobility"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "mobility",
    "stretching"
  ],
  "is_unilateral": false,
  "is_bodyweight": true,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Lie face down with the hands beside the lower ribs and the tops of the feet on the floor.",
    "Press the hands down and straighten the arms, lifting the chest and then the thighs off the mat.",
    "Draw the shoulders back and down and keep the neck long.",
    "Hold the position for the prescribed time with only the hands and the tops of the feet on the floor.",
    "Bend the arms and lower down under control."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Leg dich auf den Bauch, die Hände neben die unteren Rippen, die Fußrücken am Boden.",
    "Druck die Hände in den Boden und streck die Arme, sodass zuerst die Brust und dann die Oberschenkel abheben.",
    "Zieh die Schultern nach hinten unten und halte den Nacken lang.",
    "Halte die Position für die vorgegebene Zeit - nur Hände und Fußrücken berühren den Boden.",
    "Beug die Arme und senk dich kontrolliert ab."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Túmbate boca abajo con las manos junto a las costillas bajas y el empeine apoyado en el suelo.",
    "Presiona las manos y estira los brazos, elevando primero el pecho y después los muslos de la esterilla.",
    "Lleva los hombros atrás y abajo y mantén el cuello largo.",
    "Mantén la posición durante el tiempo indicado con solo las manos y el empeine en el suelo.",
    "Flexiona los brazos y baja de forma controlada."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Keep the shoulders over the wrists rather than behind them.",
    "Press the tops of the feet down; that is what lifts the thighs.",
    "If the thighs cannot lift, stay in cobra instead of forcing the position."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Halte die Schultern über den Handgelenken, nicht dahinter.",
    "Druck die Fußrücken in den Boden - das ist es, was die Oberschenkel hebt.",
    "Heben die Oberschenkel nicht ab, bleib in der Kobra, statt die Position zu erzwingen."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Mantén los hombros sobre las muñecas en lugar de por detrás de ellas.",
    "Presiona el empeine contra el suelo; eso es lo que eleva los muslos.",
    "Si los muslos no pueden despegarse, quédate en la cobra en lugar de forzar la posición."
  ],
  "met": 5.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "main": "images/flat/upward-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 === "upward-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.