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"author": {
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"name": "Elisa Silva"
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"headline":"How To Do A Kneeling Slide With Perfect Form",
"datePublished":"2018-01-12",
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"description":"Learn How To Do A Kneeling Slide With Perfect Form.",
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<article>
<div>
<ul>
<li><a href="#section1">Instructions</a></li>
<li><a href="#section2">Things to Keep in Mind</a></li>
<li><a href="#section3">Conclusion</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<section>
<p>Here in 2019, yoga continues its meteoric rise in popularity, and with good reason. Not only is it a simple form of exercise, requiring only your body and a mat, but it’s also very effective. The American Osteopathic Association recommends a regular yoga practice for its incredible physical benefits—including increased flexibility, improved muscle strength and tone, and a well-balanced metabolism—as well as the positive effects it can have on your mental health. Here we’re going to teach you an awesome bodyweight exercise that borrows from a common yoga move: <i>the Up down dog</i>.</p>
<p>The up down dog builds on the downward dog, a yoga move where you place your hands and feet on the ground and lift your butt up towards the sky— much like a dog does when they stretch. For the up down dog, start in downward dog then slowly drop your hips towards the ground. Once you’ve lowered to the ground, you’ll lift your head to look towards the ceiling and arch your back for a nice stretch. </p>
<p>You may find that this move is a little challenging to begin with, so here’s a modification you can make if you need help. Place your hands on a chair as you start in downward dog. Use the chair to continue supporting yourself through the move. You’ll still get that amazing back stretch while building the strength needed to transition to the full movement.</p>
<p>Once you’ve perfected your up down dog, you’ll be ready to take on the <i>Hindu pushup</i>. It’s essentially the same as the up down dog, except you’ll bend your elbows and lower your head towards the ground—so that in the middle of the movement you’re in a plank position. Then like with the up down dog, lift your head back up towards the sky and arch your back. The difference is that you’re adding a modified pushup into the move. That extra bit is going to really fire your arms and create some great tension in your core.</p>
<p>From there, you can take on the dive bomber pushup. Again, the difference here is very slight, but it’s significant. With the Hindu pushup, once you’ve gone into the stretch, you reset back to the starting position. For the dive bomber, you’re going to push your body back exactly the way you came down—almost like you’re rewinding your body. The dive bomber will hit your triceps hard while working those ab muscles.</p>
<p>But first, let’s get started by learning how to do the perfect up down dog:</p>
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<section id="section1">
<h2>Instructions</h2>
<ol>
<li>Start with your hands and toes on the ground and your butt pointed towards the ceiling so your body makes an inverted “V” shape.</li>
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<li>With a slow, controlled movement, drop your hips down to the ground and forward. As your hips reach the floor, your arms should remain straight. Arch your back so you’re looking up towards the ceiling. Your legs will stay extended as you perform the movement with your quads just touching the ground.</li>
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<li>Push your hips back up to return to the starting position.</li>
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<li>Repeat until you’ve reached the desired number of repetitions.</li>
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<h2>Things to keep in mind</h2>
<ul>
<li>For the starting position, think about bringing your belly button towards your thighs. This is going to activate your core muscles and give you a good stretch in your hamstrings.</li>
<li>Press the pads of your hands down and squeeze with your fingertips like you’re trying to crumple the ground into a ball. This activates your arm muscles and improves strength in your hands, wrists, and fingers, helping you avoid injuries.</li>
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<li>In that same starting position, keep your head tall. Imagine that you’re trying to extend your shoulders upward to activate your shoulders and all the muscles in your back.</li>
<li>Inhale as you drop down and exhale as you press back up. This will keep the blood pumping to your muscles, boost your metabolism, and get you focused on perfect form.</li>
<li>Once you’ve reached the bottom of the movement, think about your alignment. Your head should be tall with your shoulder blades pressed back so you’re not hunched. Face the pits of your elbows forward to keep that good form in your shoulders.</li>
<li>Meanwhile, keep the thighs active and squeeze your glutes throughout the movement.</li>
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<h2>Conclusion:</h2>
<p>The up down dog is an excellent move for building strength and flexibility. As with all the moves we teach you, form is key, so focus on the cues we’ve provided here. If you find you can’t do the full movement to start, drop down as far as you can comfortably and without pain. As long as you keep that good form going, you’ll still be getting incredible benefits from this exercise.</p>
<p>Again, beginners and folks who have trouble getting all the way down on the floor can modify this movement by using a chair. Place your hands on the chair or couch in front of you and perform the move, paying attention to your form. This modification will help you to build up strength while offering a nice, relaxing stretch for your back.</p>
<p>When you feel comfortable with the up down dog, you can try out a more challenging variation—the Hindu pushup. For this move, you’ll drive your head down towards the ground and bend your elbows. This makes the move a little more like a pushup in the ways that it works your core and fires your triceps and other arm muscles.</p>
<p>From there, you can check out the dive bomber pushup which, once again, builds on the intermediate move. You’ll do almost the exact same thing, but instead of pressing back up to the starting pose, reverse the pushup movement. This extends the amount of time your core is firing while activating a ton of other muscles throughout the body.</p>
<p>As with all the exercises we share at Warrior Made, one of the best features of the up down dog is that you can do it anywhere—from your office at work to your living room at home. So why not try adding a few sets to your next workout or completing a few reps during your lunch break at work?</p>
<p>If this exercise is too easy, try <a target="_blank" href="https://www.warriormade.com/content/exercise/perfect-form-hindu-push-ups/">Hindu Pushups</a>.</p>
</section>
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