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If you’re looking to work your upper body, enhance your posture, and strengthen your core in one move, you’ve come to the right place. I’m a fitness editor and marathon runner, and recently I added this simple exercise to my routine for a week. The move? A push-up to downward dog. Read on to find out what happened.
As always, if you’re a complete beginner or you’re returning to exercise following an injury or extended break, it’s always a good idea to seek personalized advice from a qualified professional.
How to do a push-up to downward dog
Also known as a plank to pike, this exercise combines two exercises: a push-up and a downward dog. It’s a compound exercise, which means it’s working multiple muscle groups at the same time.
Here’s how to do it:
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Start in a plank position, with your core engaged, your wrists underneath your shoulders, and a straight line from your head to your heels.
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Bend your elbows and lower your torso down towards the floor into a push-up.
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Push through your palms back into a plank, then raise your hips to the ceiling, pushing them up and back so you’re in a downward dog.
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I’m guilty of not doing a lot of strength work, primarily because I just don’t have the time, so I added this simple move to my running routine, doing 20 reps before my run, and 20 reps when I get home. Two weeks later, here’s what I noticed:
I had to really focus on keeping my core engaged
When we talk about engaging your core, we mean really thinking about sucking your belly button into your spine, bracing your core as if you’re going to get punched. If your core isn’t engaged during this exercise, your hips will sag.
During the first few reps of this exercise, I felt myself rushing through my reps — the key here is to move slowly. As you raise your hips up and back into the downward dog, think about lifting your hips to the ceiling. You should feel the stretch down the back of your legs.
It worked on my stiff back
Like millions of Americans, I spend a lot of time sitting down, which isn’t great for my lower back or my posture. This move forces you to lengthen your spine, relieving tension from sitting or standing for too long. You’ll also be working on your shoulder joint mobility and upper back extension.
After two weeks of doing this exercise daily, I felt like I was really able to think about opening my upper back and pushing my shoulder blades back.
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My upper body got a workout, too
To make this exercise harder, add a three-second pause at the bottom of the push-up and during the downward dog. This keeps your upper body muscles under tension for longer — a technique that adds more challenge and resistance during an exercise, which could help build muscle without lifting heavier weights.
After two weeks, I didn’t notice any physical change in my body — building muscle, sadly, takes a lot longer, but I did feel like I really got to grips with the move, and was better able to engage my core muscles during my reps.
Using the downward dog pushup during my warm-up also helped me really think about my posture on the run, engaging my core and keeping my torso upright as I picked up the pace.
Looking for an easy challenge over the holidays? Give this move a go. Start with 8-10 reps and build up.
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