Legs · Bodyweight
Upward Facing Dog
How to do the upward facing dog, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Timed hold
- Movement
- Extension
- Mechanic
- Mobility
How to do it
Lie face down with your legs extended and the tops of your feet on the floor. Place your hands under your shoulders and press into your palms to lift your chest off the ground, straightening your arms. Roll your shoulders back and lift your thighs slightly off the floor by pressing the tops of your feet into the mat. Open your chest and gaze forward or slightly upward, holding the pose while breathing steadily. Avoid compressing your lower back by engaging your core.
- 1Feel a gentle stretch across your chest and hip flexors as you extend your spine
- 2Engage your glutes and press through your palms to lift your torso
- 3Open your collarbones and keep your shoulders away from your ears
Common mistakes
- Avoid sinking into your lower back; lengthen through your spine
- Don't lock your elbows; maintain a slight bend
- Avoid hunching your shoulders; draw them down and back
Muscles worked
The upward facing dog works the hip flexors.
- Hip FlexorsSupport
- TricepsMinor
- Upper ChestMinor
- Lower BackMinor
- Mid TrapsMinor
- Front DeltsMinor
Kovo programs the upward facing dog 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 hips & adductors exercises
- How to do the butterfly stretch
- How to do the external rotation
- How to do the cable hip adduction
- How to do the internal rotation
- How to do the cobra pose
- How to do the core scrunch
Last reviewed April 2026.