Up Dog
Up Dog is a yoga-inspired mobility exercise that stretches the chest and abdominals while strengthening the arms and spine. It involves lying face down and pressing the upper body upward, lifting the hips and thighs off the floor to create a full spinal arch.
Since Up Dog places significant extension demands on the lumbar spine, the AI analyzes your recent training volume—specifically heavy deadlifts or squats—to gauge if your lower back recovery supports this degree of extension. If you have reported previous wrist or lower back sensitivity, the app monitors your session duration to suggest regressions like Cat-Cow if the hold becomes aggravating. Additionally, by syncing with your cycle tracking, the app can alert you when hormonal increases in joint laxity might make you prone to overstretching, ensuring you stay within a safe range of motion.
Form Cues
- Press the tops of your feet firmly into the floor
- Lift your thighs and knees completely off the ground
- Roll your shoulders down and back away from your ears
- Press through your palms to fully straighten your arms
- Engage your glutes to support your lower back
- Don't let your thighs or hips touch the floor
- Don't shrug your shoulders up toward your ears
- Don't compress your lower back by relaxing the core
- Don't throw your head aggressively backward
- Don't allow your heels to splay outward
Common Mistakes
- Resting hips or thighs on the floor
- Hunching shoulders near ears
- Hyperextending the lower back
- Locking elbows excessively
- Holding breath during the pose
Muscles Worked
This exercise primarily targets the upper chest and anterior deltoids through a deep stretch, helping to reverse the hunched posture often caused by sitting. It secondarily engages the erector spinae and triceps to maintain the lifted position, while the glutes activate to protect the lumbar spine from excessive compression.
Primary
Secondary
Get Personalized Coaching for Up Dog
Don't guess your way through weights or workouts. Download Iridium for automatic, AI-powered coaching that adapts to your recovery and goals.