Back · Bodyweight
Puppy Pose
How to do the puppy pose, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- time
- Movement
- Extension
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Start on all fours with hips stacked over your knees. Walk your hands forward and lower your chest toward the floor, keeping your hips high over your knees, until your forehead or chin rests down and you feel a stretch through the upper back and shoulders.
- 1A stretch through the lats, shoulders, and upper back
- 2Your hips staying stacked over the knees
- 3The chest melting toward the floor as you relax
Common mistakes
- Letting the hips sink back toward the heels
- Shrugging the shoulders up toward your ears
- Forcing the chest down past a comfortable stretch
Muscles worked
The puppy pose mainly works the lats, with the upper chest and front delts assisting.
- LatsPrimary
- Upper ChestSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- Mid ChestMinor
- Lower BackMinor
- Mid TrapsMinor
- Lower TrapsMinor
- Hip FlexorsMinor
Kovo programs the puppy pose for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More back exercises
- How to do the archer pull-up
- How to do the resistance band assisted pull-up
- How to do the machine assisted pull-up
- How to do the back extension bench back extension
- How to do the machine back extension
- How to do the back lever
Last reviewed June 2026.