If you want to work your upper body & strengthen your core with one exercise, this might help. I’m a fitness editor and marathon runner who tried adding this move to my workouts for a week. The exercise is a push-up to downward dog. Here’s what I learned from the experience. Before starting any new exercise program beginners or anyone recovering from an injury should talk to a fitness professional first. This exercise is also called a plank to pike. It combines a push-up with a downward dog position. It’s a compound movement that targets several muscle groups at once.
– Begin in a plank position with your core tight and your wrists placed directly under your shoulders.
– Keep your body in a straight line from head to heels.
– Lower yourself by bending your elbows until your chest moves toward the floor in a push-up motion.
– Press through your palms to return to the plank position. Then lift your hips upward and backward toward the ceiling to form a downward dog pose.
I often skip strength training mostly because I lack the time. I decided to add this easy exercise to my running schedule by doing 20 repetitions before each run and another 20 after returning home. After two weeks I observed some changes. Core engagement means actively pulling your belly button toward your spine and tightening your midsection like you expect an impact. Without proper core activation your hips will drop during this movement. I noticed myself moving too quickly through the initial repetitions of this exercise. The important thing is to perform each movement slowly. While lifting your hips upward and backward into the downward dog position focus on pushing your hips toward the ceiling. This should create a stretching sensation along the back of your legs.
Like millions of Americans I spend a lot of time sitting down which is not great for my lower back or my posture. This move forces you to lengthen your spine and relieves tension from sitting or standing for too long. You will also work on your shoulder joint mobility & upper back extension.
After two weeks of doing this exercise daily I felt like I could really focus on opening my upper back and pushing my shoulder blades back.
To increase the difficulty of this exercise you can add a three-second pause at the bottom of the push-up and another pause during the downward dog position. This extended pause keeps your upper body muscles under tension for a longer period. The technique adds more challenge and resistance to the exercise without requiring heavier weights and could help you build muscle over time. After practicing this exercise for two weeks I did not see any visible physical changes in my body. Building muscle unfortunately takes much longer than that. However I did feel more comfortable with the movement and was able to engage my core muscles more effectively during each repetition. Including the downward dog pushup in my warm-up routine also helped me focus on my posture while running. I was able to engage my core better and keep my torso upright as I increased my running speed. If you want an easy challenge during the holidays you should try this exercise. Begin with 8-10 repetitions and gradually increase the number as you get stronger.
