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Has downward dog become relatively easy for you?
If so, you’re not alone!
Many yoga practitioners find that as they practice down dog regularly, their body begins to adapt to the loads of the pose. At some point, they plateau in terms of strength gains in this pose.
With this in mind, in this blog post I’ve highlighted a few of my favorite ways to challenge yourself in down dog again and stimulate new strength adaptations!
Before we dive in to down dog strength work, though, let’s acknowledge something important.
Not everyone eventually adapts and experiences a down dog that’s challenge-free. In fact, for many yogis, down dog remains a struggle of a pose for the entirety of their yoga practicing career! 😬
One common reason for this is that down dog requires a significant amount of flexibility – especially in the hamstrings. Card-carrying members of the “tight hamstrings club” 🙂 often find that down dog never seems to feel easier for them, no matter how many times they practice it.
When we practice down dog with straight legs, we’re asking quite a bit of the hamstrings. And for those of us who are “tight” in that area, down dog can feel like a constant uphill battle.
Pro tip: It’s totally fine to practice down dog with bent knees!
Bent knees can be a grrreat modification for those with less flexible hamstrings.
And in the bigger picture, working on improving hamstring flexibility – through stretching/mobility work or full range strength training – can be an excellent strategy for supporting a more easeful downward dog with straighter legs. (Side note: you can work on hamstring flexibility and hamstring strengthening with me in my online yoga class library!)
But now, back to the topic at hand!
Here are my favorite variations for increasing the challenge in downward dog 🔥:
1) Down Dog Alternating Ankle Taps
This dynamic movement alternates between plank and down dog:
From plank, we reach one hand toward the opposite ankle or shin, then return to plank and switch sides. As we reach back with one arm, the load increases on the supporting shoulder.
It’s a simple but powerful way to build upper-body strength, control, and stability – especially through the shoulders.
2) Down Dog Single-Leg Knee Extensions
This variation begins in a down dog split (one leg lifted). From there, the knee of the supporting leg lowers toward the ground – hovering just above the floor – before pressing back up into the split position.
Think of it like a single-leg knee extension in a yoga pose.
This move adds significant load to the quads while keeping the essence of down dog, making it a smart, yoga-based choice for building lower-body strength.
3) Dolphin to Down Dog Tricep Extensions
This is a great way to link two familiar yoga poses together into one strengthening move!
Starting in down dog, we lower both elbows to the floor with control, landing in dolphin pose. Then we attempt to lift both elbows back up to down dog.
By cycling between these two poses, we target our triceps eccentrically on the lower down and concentrically on the lift back up.
4) Bear to Down Dog with Resistance Band
A resistance band adds intensity to this fluid transition between bear pose (hovering tabletop) and down dog.
The band loops behind the knees and under the hands, resisting the movement as we press back into down dog.
The result? Increased quadriceps work and a creative way to load the lower body right within a yoga context!
5) Down Dog Push-Ups (Overhead Shoulder Strength)
If you’re familiar with the overhead press strength exercise, this down dog variation will really resonate with you!
From downward dog, we bend our elbows outward and lower our head toward the floor, then push back up.
This challenges overhead pushing capacity – a valuable shoulder strength skill that’s not typically addressed in traditional yoga. The shape of down dog allows us to explore vertical pressing strength in a bodyweight-only setting, which is so convenient!
Video Tutorial Featuring These 5 Downward Dog Strengthening Moves!
