Exercise guide
Puppy Pose
- Beginner
- Compound
- Timed hold
- Back
- Lower legs
- Shoulders
- Upper legs
A deep thoracic extension and shoulder opener that bridges the gap between Child's Pose and Downward Dog, effectively lengthening the lats and deltoids. It improves upper body mobility and spinal alignment while requiring core control to stabilize the pelvis.
Reviewed by the Crucible Fit team · Updated June 2026
Muscles worked
Setup
- Begin on all fours in a tabletop position with your wrists under your shoulders and knees under your hips.
- Ensure your shins are parallel and the tops of your feet are pressing gently into the floor.
- Walk your hands forward as far as possible while keeping your hips stacked directly over your knees.
How to do it
- Exhale as you lower your chest toward the mat, allowing your spine to extend while keeping your arms straight and active.
- Rest your forehead on the floor for a neutral neck, or your chin for a deeper upper-back stretch.
- Maintain a slow, controlled breathing pattern, inhaling to expand the ribs and exhaling to sink deeper into the shoulder stretch.
- Hold the position for the prescribed duration, focusing on lengthening the spine with every breath.
Form checklist
- Keep hips vertically aligned over the knees, not shifted forward or backward toward the heels.
- Engage the lower abdominals to prevent an excessive arch or 'dumping' into the lumbar spine.
- Keep the elbows lifted off the mat to maintain active tension in the lats and deltoids.
- Maintain shoulder-width distance between the hands to avoid pinching the neck.
Pro tips
- Actively 'wrap' your outer armpits toward the floor to encourage external rotation of the shoulders and engage the serratus anterior.
- Visualize pulling your hips back while reaching your fingertips forward to maximize the decompression of the spine and lat engagement.
Make it harder
- Place your palms on elevated yoga blocks to increase the vertical distance the chest can travel, deepening the thoracic stretch.
- Lift your knees slightly off the floor while maintaining the upper body position to turn the stretch into an intense core and shoulder stability hold.
Frequently asked
- What muscles does the puppy pose work?
- The puppy pose primarily targets the glutes, lats, and trapezius, and also works the abs and obliques as secondary muscles.
- What equipment do you need for the puppy pose?
- The puppy pose requires no equipment — just your body weight.
- Is the puppy pose good for beginners?
- Yes. The puppy pose is a beginner-friendly movement and a strong foundation to build on.
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