Tag: Exercise Guides
GHD Exercise Guide: How To, Benefits, Muscles Worked, and Variations
Most people like to train their mirror muscles. What are those, you ask? These are the muscles that you can look at in the mirror while training them, such as the biceps, shoulders, chest, abs, and quadriceps. Looking at your pumped-up muscles in the mirror makes you want to train them more often.
On the other hand, since you cannot look at your posterior chain muscles, such as the back, glutes, hamstrings, and calves, it makes it more difficult to establish a mind-muscle connection with them. Since most people fail to achieve optimal muscle fiber stimulation and contraction while training their posterior chain muscles, it is usually a lagging muscle group for them.
That said, the posterior chain muscles, such as the glutes, back, and hamstrings are some of the biggest muscle groups in your body. Overlooking training them can lead to strength and muscle imbalances and increase your risk of injury.
The GHD machine was developed to fix this issue. This ordinary-looking bench is one of the most versatile pieces of training equipment. An exerciser can perform several exercises on the GHD machine to improve their posterior chain.
Most people use ‘GHD’ glute-hamstring developer and ‘GHR’ glute-hamstring raise interchangeably. By making this mistake, these folks limit the possibilities of what they can achieve with this machine.
In this article, we go over everything you must know to make the most of the GHD machine, including the different exercises you can perform, the muscles worked, its benefits, common mistakes, and the best variations and alternatives. We have a lot to cover, so sit tight and read on.
What is GHD?
The glute-hamstring developer, popularly known as the GHD, is a hyperextension alternative. This isolation exercise builds endurance, strength, and muscle mass in the posterior chain (read: hamstrings, glutes, and lower back).
The GHD machine has become a mainstay in CrossFit gyms worldwide because of its effectiveness. The meteoric rise of CrossFit since 2014 has also led to the popularity of the GHD machine.
In contrast to the hyperextension machine, which usually has its thigh pads set at a 45-degree angle, the GHD machine has its pads parallel to the floor. This setup puts more demands on your posterior chain muscles.
Best GHD Exercises & How To Do Them
There are four main GHD machine exercises you must do to take your posterior chain gains to the next level. These exercises might look the same to an untrained eye. However, this guide will help you differentiate between them and learn the correct form to maximize results.
GHD Glute-Ham Raise (GHD Raise)
The GHD raise is one of the most popular GHD exercises, and it is the exercise most people are referring to while talking about GHDs. Glute-hamstring raises were allegedly developed by the Soviet Union weightlifting team to maximize their snatch and clean and jerk performance. As the name suggests, this exercise helps focus on the glutes and hamstrings.
How To Do the GHD Raise:
Mount the machine and place your knees on the support pads just shy of the center. Your hips should be over the pads at the bottom of the movement.
Hold onto the pads while you get into position.
Anchor your ankles between the foot pads.
Your lower legs should be parallel to the floor, and your torso should be 90 degrees with it.
Hold your hands in front of your chest and keep your back neutral throughout the exercise. This will be your starting position.
Take a deep breath, brace your core, and slowly lean your torso forward by extending your knees until it is parallel to the floor.
Breathe out sharply and flex your knees to return to the starting position.
Focus on contracting your glutes and hamstrings throughout the range of motion.
Repeat for the recommended reps.
Pro Tip: Your body, from the top of your knees to your head, should be in a straight line throughout the exercise. Avoid hinging your hips or rounding or overarching your back during this lift.
GHD Hip Extension
The GHD hip extension focuses on your glutes and is one of the best isolation exercises for folks with a lagging bum. You will also experience greater lower back engagement in this GHD variation.
How To Do the GHD Hip Extension:
Adjust the foot platform so that your hips are entirely off the support pads during the exercise.
Get on the GHD machine and place your feet between the foot pads.
Your feet should be pointing straight down during the exercise. Angling out your feet will put unnecessary strain on your adductors.
Cross your arms in front of your chest.
Lower your torso toward the floor so that your body is perpendicular to the floor, also known as the Superwoman position. Again, your hips should be off the pads. This will be your starting position.
Take a deep breath, brace your core, and lower your torso until it is almost perpendicular to the floor.
Contract your glutes and return to the starting position.
Rinse and repeat.
Pro Tip: Avoid breaking parallel during concentrics as it can remove tension from your glutes and put it on your lower back and hamstrings. Keep your shoulder blades pulled back and down and your chest proud throughout this exercise.
GHD Back Extension
The GHD back extension is a combination of the GHD raise and the GHD hip extension in that you will use the setup of the former, whereas you will follow the range of motion of the latter. That said, the focus of this exercise is your lower back. Your glutes and hamstrings will function as supporting muscles.
Since you’ll focus on your lower back in this exercise, you must round your back during eccentrics (lowering movement) and unfurl your back during concentrics.
How To Do the GHD Back Extension:
Adjust the foot pads so that the top of your hips is above the center of the pad.
Mount the GHD machine and place your ankles between the foot pads.
Cross your arms in front of your chest and get into a Superwoman position so your body is parallel to the floor.
Initiate the movement by tucking your chin into your upper chest.
Slowly round your back, one vertebra at a time, and lower your torso toward the floor.
Your belly should be wrapped around the top end of the pad at the bottom of the movement.
Reverse the movement to return to the starting position.
Squeeze your lower back during concentrics.
Keep the movement slow and controlled to avoid engaging your glutes and hamstrings.
Pro Tip: Compared to the hip extension, the back extension helps keep your hips static, putting more tension on your lower back.
GHD Hip and Back Extension
This is arguably the most complex GHD variation, as it combines everything you have learned up to now. You will experience greater glute and lower back engagement in this exercise, whereas your hamstrings will take a back seat.
Since this exercise has more moving parts than the previous GHD variations, you might need some time to master this exercise.
How To Do the GHD Hip and Back Extension:
Bring the foot pads close to the main support pads, as your hips should be clear of the pads during this exercise.
Get on the GHD machine and put your ankles between the foot pads.
With your arms crossed in front of your chest, assume the Superwoman position. Your hips should be clear off the pads, and your body should be in a straight line and parallel to the floor at the starting position.
Begin the movement by tucking your chin into your upper chest.
Slowly roll your shoulders, then your upper back, as you lower your torso toward the floor. Your upper body should be rounded and parallel to the floor at the bottom of the position.
At this position, arch your back and neutralize your spine.
Round your back again and reverse the motion by extending your hips to return to the starting position.
Contract your hips and lower back during concentrics.
Pro Tip: Since the last two exercises require rounding the spine, you should avoid using additional resistance on these GHD variations. Instead, focus on training the hips and lower back to failure by performing a hip number of reps.
Muscles Worked During GHD
All the four GHD variations explained above target the posterior chain. However, the primary and secondary working muscles vary for each exercise group. Here are the muscle groups worked with the GHD exercises:
Glutes & Hamstrings
The glutes and hamstrings are the primary target muscles of the GHD raises. The glutes are the biggest and strongest muscle in your body, and training them can improve your overall functionality and workout performance. The GHD machine is one of the best tools to develop your hamstrings.
Lower Back
Most exercises want you to avoid lower back engagement; the GHD is not one of them. Since the GHD exercises involve constant hip flexion and extension, you cannot escape lower back engagement, especially while doing a high number of reps.
Calves
Whether you are working above parallel (GHD raise) or in the lower half (hip and back extensions), you will achieve lower leg stimulation. You will experience your calves fire up to a greater degree in longer sets (more than 15 reps).
Given below is an overview of the primary and secondary muscles of the four GHD variations:
Exercise
Primary Target Muscles
Secondary Muscles
GHD Raise
Glutes and hamstrings
Lower back
GHD Hip Extension
Glutes
Lower back and hamstrings
GHD Back Extension
Lower back
Glutes and hamstrings
GHD Hip and Back Extension
Glutes and lower back
Hamstrings
Benefits of GHD
Adding the GHD machine to your training regimen entails the following benefits:
Builds Strength and Muscle Mass
The glute-hamstring developer can help you build stronger and more muscular glutes, hamstrings, and lower back. Adjust your training and volume to meet your objective.
Develop a Robust Posterior Chain
A strong posterior chain can improve your overall functionality, training, and athletic performance. Performing this exercise regularly can translate to better performance on compound movements that require posterior chain engagement.
Perfect For Exercisers of all Experience Levels
Since GHD exercises are isolation movements, they are easy to learn. That said, this machine is just as effective for advanced lifters as it is for newbies. Seasoned trainers can add to this exercise’s difficulty by using additional resistance.
Reduces Risk of Hamstring Injury
Research shows that adding eccentric-focused movements and isometric exercises can reduce your risk of injury during explosive movements [1]. People that deal with recurring posterior chain injuries should add this exercise to their exercise regimen after consulting their healthcare provider.
Common Mistakes While Performing GHD
Avoid committing the following errors to limit the risk of injury and get the best bang for your buck:
Replacing the GHD Machine with a Hyperextension Bench
Many people think that 45-degree hyperextension machines are the same as GHD machines. However, nothing could be further from the truth. The GHD machine is much more demanding on your hamstrings and glutes than the hyperextension bench.
Mixing Two GHD Movements
I cannot tell you how often I see people do GHD raises with a GHD hip extension setup. Remember, going all the way up, and all the way down is not always a good idea. You must get well-versed with the GHD variations to reduce your risk of injury.
Adding Weights Too Soon
Bodyweight versions of the GHD variations explained in this article are good enough for most people to build a strong and muscular posterior chain. You should only use additional resistance after you have drilled the movement.
Variations of GHD
Use the following GHD variations to add variety to your exercise regime:
Eccentric-Focused Glute-Ham Raise
You can use this technique in any of the four GHD variations mentioned in this article. In this exercise, you take three to five seconds on the eccentrics. Slowing down the negatives increases the time under tension, which leads to greater muscle stimulation [2]. Follow the same-old rep tempo during concentrics and the statics contraction points at the top and bottom.
Sorenson Hold
The Sorenson hold is an isometric GHD variation, meaning you hold the same position for a specific time. Think of the Sorenson hold as a plank for your glutes, hamstrings, and lower back.
How To:
Get in the same position as the GHD hip extension. Your hips should be clear of the pads.
Cross your arms in front of your chest.
Extend your hips and lower your torso so your body is parallel to the floor.
Hold this position for as long as possible. Aim for 30-60 seconds.
Repeat for recommended reps.
GHD Oblique Crunch
This GHD variation works your obliques and can help you develop shredded obliques and the coveted sex lines.
How To:
Adjust the foot pads of the GHD machine so that your hips rest on top of the pads.
Mount the GHD machine. Turn to your side so that your right shoulder is facing the ceiling. The side of your left hip should be on the left pad.
Secure your left foot between the foot pads and place your right foot on top of the pads.
Your body should be in a straight line and parallel to the floor at the starting position.
Lower your torso as low toward the floor as possible.
Return to the starting position.
Repeat for recommended reps before switching sides.
Alternatives of GHD
Here are some of the best alternatives to the GHD:
Nordic Curl
You could perform this exercise on a specialized Nordic curl or with a barbell. Since most people don’t have access to a Nordic curl bench, here is how to do this movement with a barbell.
How To:
Attach two-quarter plates on each end of a barbell and place them on the floor.
Kneel on the floor facing away from the bar and anchor your heels under it.
Your body, from your knees to your head, should be in a straight line at the starting position.
Hold your hands in front of your chest.
Slowly lower your torso toward the floor by leaning forward. Control the descent by contracting your hamstrings and glutes.
Break the fall with your hands.
Use your hands for a lift-off. Contract your glutes and hamstrings to return to the starting position.
Repeat for recommended reps.
Reverse Hyperextensions
This exercise flips the GHD hip extension on its head. Louie Simmons on Westside Barbell invented reverse hyperextension and a specialized machine for it. However, you can use a GHD machine for this exercise.
How To:
Stand facing the GHD machine.
Reach forward and grab the foot platform. Adjust the platform so your hips are hanging off the pads.
At the starting position, your body should be in a straight line and parallel to the floor.
Lower your legs toward the floor until they are a few inches from touching it.
Keeping your legs straight, extend your hips and raise your lower body as high toward the ceiling as possible.
Control the descent.
Repeat for recommended reps.
Good Morning
Good mornings are an incredibly effective exercise to work your posterior chain. Use a moderate weight on this exercise to limit the risk of injury.
How To:
Stand upright with a hip-width stance with a barbell across your shoulders.
Maintaining a slight bend in your knees, slowly lower your torso toward the floor while pushing your hips back. Keep your core braced throughout the exercise.
Your torso should be almost parallel to the floor at the bottom of the position.
Return to the starting position.
Romanian Deadlift
The Romanian deadlift is a compound full-body exercise to build overall strength and muscle mass. However, this exercise primarily targets the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back.
How To:
Stand straight with a shoulder-wide stance while holding a barbell against your thighs using an overhand grip.
Maintaining a slight bend in your knees, slowly lower the bar toward the floor by bending at your hips and pushing them back.
The bar should be below your knees at the bottom of the range of motion.
Pause at the bottom and contract your hamstrings and glutes.
Explode back to the starting position.
Rinse and repeat.
FAQs
Who should avoid the GHD raises?
Folks dealing with posterior chain or lower body injuries should avoid the GHD raises. That said, you should consult your healthcare provider before starting a new training or nutrition program, especially if you’re suffering from a health issue, are pregnant, or are under 18 years old.
Can I replace leg curls with GHD raises in my workout?
Leg curls and GHD raises are both isolation exercises that work the hamstrings. However, GHD also targets your glutes. On the other hand, the leg curl machine helps maintain constant tension on your hammies throughout the range of motion. Each machine has its unique benefits, and hence you should include both in your training regimen.
How often should I do the GHD raise?
Since GHD raises are an isolation exercise, they put incredible demand on your hamstrings. According to research, you must give your muscles at least 48 hours to recover between workouts. It will result in better strength and muscle gains and reduce your risk of injury and overtraining. [3]
Who should do the GHD exercises?
The GHD variations explained in this article are great for CrossFitters, Strongman athletes, Olympic weightlifters, bodybuilders, and even hobbyist exercisers. Building a strong posterior chain help virtually everyone.
Wrapping Up
The GHD machine is a versatile training equipment that can help build a stronger and more muscular posterior chain. It can also help develop a robust midline, using exercises like the GHD sit-ups and oblique crunches.
Folks with access to a GHD machine at their gym should add the four GHD exercises explained in this article to their training regimen. Adjust the programming and training frequency to meet your objectives. So, what are you waiting for? Get working on those glutes and hammies. Best of luck!
References
Jonhagen S, Nemeth G, Eriksson E. Hamstring Injuries in Sprinters: The Role of Concentric and Eccentric Hamstring Muscle Strength and Flexibility. The American Journal of Sports Medicine. 1994;22(2):262-266. doi:10.1177/036354659402200218
Burd NA, Andrews RJ, West DW, Little JP, Cochran AJ, Hector AJ, Cashaback JG, Gibala MJ, Potvin JR, Baker SK, Phillips SM. Muscle time under tension during resistance exercise stimulates differential muscle protein sub-fractional synthetic responses in men. J Physiol. 2012 Jan 15;590(2):351-62. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.2011.221200. Epub 2011 Nov 21. PMID: 22106173; PMCID: PMC3285070.
Monteiro ER, Vingren JL, Corrêa Neto VG, Neves EB, Steele J, Novaes JS. Effects of Different Between Test Rest Intervals in Reproducibility of the 10-Repetition Maximum Load Test: A Pilot Study with Recreationally Resistance Trained Men. Int J Exerc Sci. 2019 Aug 1;12(4):932-940. PMID: 31523350; PMCID: PMC6719818.
Standing Forward Bend Uttanasana – Benefits, Common Mistakes, and Variations
Picking up where gym class left off, or where it left you hanging rather, and yes pun intended, the standing forward bend uttanasana (meaning intense or deliberate stretch) is how a toe touch/hamstring stretch should be. Operating from the hips, and keeping a level spinal, this inverted pose matches top and bottom energies, stretches every aspect of your posterior, decompresses the vertebrae, possibly improves brain function, and is a tension-relieving powerhouse.
In this guide, we want to go over the right way to do a forward fold so that you can progress naturally, and learn how to use props to increase your flexibility.
Muscles Involved During Forward Bend Uttanasana
Uttanasana Pose
You have many muscles that take part in a in a hip hinge movement like the forward bend and its variations. Here are brief descriptions of the groups.
Hamstrings – Forward bend variations ask a lot of the hamstrings muscles. Strategically located on the back of the thigh, where they flex the knee, and extend the hip, this three-headed muscle needs ample elasticity to fold you to the degree of uttanasana.
Hips – What could you do without functional hips? A whole lot of nothing! Crucial for all total body movements, supporting weight loads, and allowing us to hinge forward, these muscles consist of the glutes, flexors, extensors, and rotators.
Forward bends should be a hip hinge focused exercise, not a spine rounding movement.
Erector spinae – As you cannot without pliable hamstrings, neither can you hinge far enough forward if your trunk, and lower back muscles are stiff. The spinal muscles border the vertebrae and are what allow us bending actions like both parts of the forward bend.
Abdominals – An effective forward bend also involves good core control during the lowering and lifting phases of fold over techniques.
How To Do Forward Bend Uttanasana
Commonly taught to practicing beginners, the forward bend is a process that is individual, yet involves the same rules of movement patterns, like moving from the hips. Below is a breakdown of the individual steps involved in performing a forward bend uttanasana.
Steps
Begin in a basic standing or mountain pose with the feet hip width apart. You may use the yoga block and “pouring” technique demonstrated in the video example below.
Place your hands on your waist, then begin to tip your upper body forward while maintaining a straight back.
Hinge all the way forward, drawing the inner thighs back, and outstretch your arms toward the floor. From here, you can place your hands down on the floor, but only if you can maintain a neutral spine. If your back rounds, you can bend your knees to keep your torso straight, or stand a block on the floor and place your hands on top to shorten the range of motion.
Allow your head to relax down toward the floor.
Stay there for several deep breaths.
Notice how your hamstrings feel and be mindful to keep them more tensed or relaxed based on their flexibility.
Inhale, lift up into a neutral back by moving onto the fingertips, or bringing the hands to the shins.
Press down through the feet, raise the arms up, then exhale and relax your arms down by your sides. You’ve got it!
Tips
If you can’t complete the full pose, come halfway down, and focus on keeping your back straight. Give your hamstrings time to open up over time.
Utilize a yoga block to increase your range of motion, and use your legs to anchor yourself in a static stretch.
The “tipping the bowl” technique is a very helpful method to help master your hip hinge.
Benefits of Forward Bend Uttanasana
You wouldn’t think folding in half wouldn’t have any more benefits than making yourself more compact. But oh, there are plenty of worthwhile advantages of this yoga pose.
Formidable hamstrings
Among the muscle groups in the lower body, athletes, and highly active people especially, should be stretching their posterior thigh muscles. Highly prone to injuries, the hammies have a distinctive role in explosive, or heavy hitting activities, like sprints, jumping, and big weight lifts. These muscles decelerate, and undergo lots of
According to an article published to National Library of Medicine, hamstring injuries account for 37% of muscle traumas in professional sports injuries (1).
Stretching can maintain healthy muscle length, support, adequate joint range of movement, and help create proper muscle contractions.
Tension release
When you bend over, blood rushes to the head, and this can oftentimes cause a tingly sensation in combination with the neck being stretched. It’s a great feeling and a good way to loosen your tight upper body muscles. We tend to use these muscles a lot when we’re slouched over on our laptops, texting, or changing between bad sleeping positions.
Perfect the hip hinge
Learning how to hinge at the hips is paramount as it is a foundational, non negotiable technique for exercises in yoga, weight training, and sports. It protects the back and teaches safe spine positioning as to prevent injuries, but also for optimal force transfer, as the core muscles create a rigid torso.
Reduce mental stress and anxiety
Ideally, you perform your yoga routine in a safe, comfortable, and relaxing environment. Using this time to focus on strengthening your mind and body, and releasing built up tension will go very far in reducing mental stress and anxiety.
Proper breathing, and focus are two key habits everyone needs as it teaches you how to maintain self control and awareness. You’re understanding and feeling everything going on.
Common Mistakes During Forward Bend Uttanasana
It’s important that you understand the desired outcome of a pose in order to apply the proper techniques. For uttanasana, the hips, spine, and legs need to be moving in a way that will ensure optimal posture.
Rounding or flexing the spine
While it’s true the lower back and spinal muscles must engage in a forward bend, it’s not where the focus or movement should be. Instead, initiate and continue the forward fold by using the muscles of the hips. Keep the back straight, and if you notice rounding, bend the knees, , use a block, or avoid going any further.
Being too forceful with your stretching
Chances are if you’re serious about practicing yoga poses, you’re somewhat educated on safe stretching technique. But… we can never be too certain. Sometimes when you’re new to trying an exercise, you make mistakes without realizing it.
The forward fold isn’t a simple toe touch but a stance that requires a patient person. Feeling a little discomfort is normal, but you need to know the difference between acceptable and excessive. For example, if your lower back is feeling tight, you don’t want to force a lot more movement right away as it’s a delicate area.
Variations of Forward Bend Uttanasana
Now you’ll get to learn some of the forward bend variations that you can use to build up to a full forward fold, or advanced to a more challenging version.
Ardha uttanasana
If uttanasana seems to out of reach (pun definitely intended) for you, then the natural progression is a half forward bend, or ardha uttanasana. The goal is to come just halfway down, and get the hands to the floor far away from the feet even.
Here’s a quick tutorial with some great tips for this half fold variation.
Hands to feet pose pada hastasana
A higher level pose than uttanasana, in pada hastasana, the feet sit on the palms and the fingertips contact the wrists. You’ll probably look like a chimp in hands to feet, and you’ll need the flexibility of one too!
Steps
Start from standing with your feet a few inches apart from each other.
Inhale, raise both arms overhead.
Exhale, then slowly fold your upper body over until your head is upside down.
When you can, slide your palms under your feet so that your toes are touching your wrists. Flex the front thigh muscles, or the quadriceps.
If your flexibility allows, bend your body further toward your legs, bringing your head in between the legs, and focus your gaze between your lower legs.
Stay here and focus on 5-8 deep breaths.
Now slowly raise your head up, leaning your weight forward, and place your hands on the floor.
Inhale, and come back to the original standing position while keeping the arms raised overhead.
Exhale, then bring the arms down.
Pro tip: Bend the knees if you struggle to keep the legs fully straight.
Wide legged forward bend
In the wide legged forward bend you want to give yourself ideal distance to tip the crown of your head on the floor. Although, if you can’t it’s okay too. This pose challenges the inner thigh muscles that adduct the legs, and it isometrically strengthens the hips and pelvis.
Steps
From standing, spread your feet wide, roughly 4-5 feet apart from each other. Find a balance between wide stance, and maintaining stability.
Face your toes forward or slightly inward to activate the inner thighs and glutes, keep your legs straight and engaged, and shift your weight to your outer feet. Place your hands on your hips.
Now fold forward at the hips, and lower your torso until your upper body is roughly parallel to the floor. Make sure to keep your back straight. Then, slowly stand up straight.
Repeat step 4, but now stretch your arms down to the floor and touch it with your fingertips.
Walk your hands back until your fingers and toes are in line, and press your palms flat on the floor.
Lift your head up and gently stretch toward the sky.
Then drop your head and body down toward the floor, while bending your elbows. Try to relax your upper body.
Gently rest the crown of your head on the floor. Hold this position for a few seconds, trying not to exceed 10 seconds at first.
Now come up onto your fingers, walk your hands forward, and bring your hands on your hips, one at time, then slowly stand up in the starting position.
Spread leg forward fold
Performed on your backside, the spread leg forward fold is another wide legged stance posture. It presses the posterior legs and heels into the floor, creating a stable environment to focus on an intense hip hinge. If you can, remove the hands from the equation, and try to touch your chin on the ground for a crazy good torso stretch.
Steps
Sit on your mat, with your knees bent, feet on the floor, and arms resting on your legs.
Now straighten your legs out in front of you, then spread them wide.
Use your hands to gently adjust your glutes by pulling them out to ensure you’re able to maintain an upright posture and lengthened torso without restriction.
Flex your feet by pulling the toes back toward your ankle, and press the heels into the ground.
Then place your fingertips behind your butt on the floor, and pull the shoulder blades slightly toward each other, and down. Lift your chest up.
Hold this position and feel the stretch throughout your body.
If you’d like a more intense stretch, place your hands in front of you on the floor, then slowly walk your hands forward as much as you comfortably can.
Now allow your upper body to sink down toward the floor to further the stretch. Remember to maintain a lengthened back, not simply hunching over.
From here, if you do not have the flexibility to descend further, you can use a yoga bolster and/or stacked blankets for support.
Gently lie your head down, facing either side, and rest your elbows on the floor with your palms facing up.
Let your entire body relax and sink into the cushions, allowing your arms to also become heavy.
Bring awareness to your groin, feeling the wide position of your legs, while allowing your lower body to sink down into the floor.
Slowly breathe in and out.
Stay here for about 5 minutes.
To come out of the pose, turn your hands over onto your palms, then slowly sit up, walking your hands back toward you for support.
Before you finish the pose, and if you’re comfortable, from the sitting position, place the bolster/blankets on one leg, and lie your head down to that one side for 3-5 minutes. Repeat on the other side.
Wrapping Up
The standing forward bend uttanasana is a no frills pose, but one that sets a foundation for many postures. It’s a basic necessity, as you should be able to demonstrate hip hinge proficiency, core control, full body awareness, self control, and adequate flexibility. But you’ll want to take your time as you descend into intense forward fold variations, and use progression techniques such as a yoga block prop, your arms and legs, and even straps.
Triangle Pose Trikonasana – Benefits, Common Mistakes and Variations
While the names of some yoga poses are not as straightforward, triangle pose trikonasana is quite obvious. In the final stage of this closed hip posture, you can see how the body forms three triangular shapes. What you see is a product of the sanskrit meaning of “trikona”, meaning triangle.
Intended to stretch, strengthen, energize, and balance the body, triangle pose is a must-have posture, and one of the first that you’ll be introduced to in your yoga journey. Also being a lateral posture, you’re going to learn and experience movement in a plane of motion that most people neglect.
Triangle pose is both challenging, but a good learning posture, as you need to focus on keeping the hips still as the torso flexes to the side. If you’re ready to practice the triangle, grab and yoga block, and use this guide to master the execution of this staple posture.
Muscles Worked During Triangle Pose Trikonasana
Triangle pose is a total body exercise that starts from the feet and moves all the way up to the finger tips, involving so many muscles groups. Here are short descriptions of the muscles you can expect to improve during this stance.
Triangle Pose
Thighs and glutes
From stretching and activating the three rear-facing hamstring heads on the thighs to isometrically engaging the quads and recruiting the butt muscles, the triangle pose, is a lengthening and strengthening pose.
Core
The muscles in your middle body like the abdominals (sexy six pack muscles), the deeper abdominals, and obliques allow the bending, torso control, and twisting or rotational movement. Then you have the muscles that accompany the spine which play a big role in movement of your trunk in various directions.
You may look at the rotation involved in a triangle pose and imagine it so be easy, and it is when you don’t have to combine it with the specific position of the rest of your body. So you definitely need trunk mobility to do this exercise.
Shoulders
Requiring shoulder mobility to both support your weight with the bottom arm, and hold the top arm extended toward the sky, your deltoids, or shoulders benefit too.
How To Do The Triangle Pose
In the video demonstration below you’ll how to perform triangle pose, but also what not to do. We’ve also included a common mistakes section below for more detailed descriptions of bad habits to avoid in this pose.
Steps
Come into a wide stance, with your right foot pointing forward to the top of the mat, and the back foot turned inward to the left at a roughly 45-degree angle as shown in the video.
Keeping your legs straight, reach your right arm down and place your hand on the floor just outside the ankle. If you cannot, use a yoga block to rest your hand on.
Now rotate your chest to the left and extend your left arm straight up toward the sky. If done correctly, the both arms and wrists should form a straight line. Then just focus on enhancing the trunk rotation as you lift the chest. Actively engage the inner thighs by pulling them up and inward toward each other.
Come out of the pose by shifting back onto the rear foot, and lift up, changing the position of the arms, and transitioning to the same pose in the opposite direction.
Pro tip: A yoga block is a handy and very useful yoga training tool, especially during standing bend variations.
Watch the short video tutorial below to see the triangle pose.
Tip: Adjust your feet according to comfort, however, still keep the feet in opposite direction to keep the hips open.
Tips and more detailed instructions
Triangle pose may seem as though there’s not much too it. But there are many little intricacies or steps involved in the technique. If you need more detailed tips, tricks and instruction, check out the following written steps, and a short 3-minute video example below!
Start in a wide stance with the feet forward, and place your hands on your hips.
Squeeze your leg muscles, tense the core, and imagine pulling the spine straight up, not leaning back or forward.
Lift and externally rotate the right foot 90 degrees from the back foot without shifting your hips to the side.
Slide the hands up tp the ribs and inhale, feeling the midsection expand. Then exhale, focusing on moving the breath and torso upward.
Lean over sideways to the right foot, using your hands to help guide you in proper alignment. As you come down, it will likely feel more challenging to bring your hand to the floor. In this case, set up a yoga block to decrease the distance, and place your hand on it.
Push down into the block, with the other hand resting on your ribcage, arch your spine up in a rainbow shape, and keep your head and neck relaxed.
Move the hand from the ribcage and place the palm flat against the chest.
Rotate the head, neck, and collarbone up and draw your gaze in the same direction.
Then bring the hand from the chest into fully extended toward the ceiling.
To come out bring the arm to the hip, look down at the floor, bend the front knee slightly and push down as you stand up.
Hold your arms out like a bird, make your feet parallel, overlap one hand on the other, bend your knees, and either step or lightly hop the feet together.
Don’t forget to repeat for the opposite side.
This Exercise
Target muscle groups: Legs, glutes, hips, core, shoulders
Type: Yoga
Equipment: Mat, block
Difficulty: Beginner/Intermediate
Benefits of Triangle Pose
Incorporating various aspects of movement, the reward of these great poses is always more than the time and effort required. Here are the benefits of the triangle pose.
Train your functional abilities
Regardless of your age, it’s always good to maintain your physical abilities (e.g., balance, coordination, body awareness, multi-plane movement) but especially as you get older when these skills begin to decline, increasing risk of injuries, and decreasing quality of life. The body needs regular maintenance like anything that you expect to be there when you need it to.
We like that triangle pose forces you to consciously be aware of your body’s alignment, while having to focus on engaging your lower and upper body.
Stretching has numerous benefits
In grade school your gym class instructors probably didn’t explain the full benefits of stretching. However, it goes beyond just increasing flexibility.
In fact, it’s so beneficial, that people who stretch often experience immediate stress relief, due to undoing tension from tight muscles caused by under or overuse, injuries, or even mental stress, which makes us tense up without realizing it. This, in turn, could mean better sleep as you’ll feel more relaxed, as well as due to increased blood flow and circulation.
And, of course, if you want to perform your best in sports, training, etc, and avoid injuries during your favorite activities, then you need to stretch so your joints can move properly and your muscles can contract and lengthen to give you optimal strength, and ability.
Can relax your mind
Putting your electronics away and consciously focusing your efforts on doing something good for your body is a must in this day and age. With all the pressures, stresses, and artificial exposure, we really need to be thinking more about our health.
Getting in these beneficial poses that get us up off our butts (also wakes up our sleepy butt muscles) keeps our engines (body and mind) active and our juices flowing to support mental productivity, and physical longevity.
Common Mistakes During Triangle Pose
Here are the things to avoid in the triangle pose technique.
Your feet should be the same as half moon, and not like warrior, with the lead foot pointing to the top end of the mat, while the rear toes should face the left if you’re facing left, or the right, if your body is turned toward the right side of the mat.
The reason being is triangle pose is an open hip posture, and turning the feet inward closes the hip, like you’d do for warrior pose.
“Hip bumping”
The common hip bump cue doesn’t seem allow for the most efficiency when performing triangle pose. It places a lot of pressure on the hamstrings, and pinches the hips. Instead, follow the second video instructional provided under the “How to do triangle pose” section.
Not forming triangles
Too often will people attempt a pose with no technique, slopping over, placing their hands anywhere, bending the elbows, collapsing, and yeah, you get the point. Well, you won’t get the benefits this way, and you could actually do more harm by twisting the body in dangerous angles, and putting a lot of pressure on certain areas. Instead, keep everything strong, and follow the video demonstration above.
Variations Of Triangle Pose
The following poses are the most common triangle pose variations that vary in difficulty.
Extended triangle pose (utthita trikonasana)
The extended triangle pose keeps you here for a longer duration to really stretch and loosen the muscle fibers so essential in many yoga postures.
Steps
With your feet together, turn the right foot to the right side of the mat, and rotate the left foot only slightly to the right.
Inhale, then breath out, and bend toward the right foot from the hips and grab your right big toe with your right hand. Reach the left arm up vertical. Slowly gaze up at the left hand, and stay there as you take 4-6 slow and deep breaths.
Inhale, press the back heel into the floor, and come back into a standing position.
Now repeat to the left side, changing foot position to the opposite of the right side.
Bound triangle pose (baddha trikonasana)
You’ll surely get wrapped up in this pose, putting your flexibility to the test. It’s harder than the extended triangle stance, and a good way to challenge yourself. You should feel a strong link and connection, as one arm ties into the other, creating a solid lock.
Steps
Stand with your about shoulder width and half distance apart.
Turn the right foot so the toes point to the top of the mat, and keep the back foot at a 45-degree angle toward your left side.
Extend the arms out sideways like a bird, then breath in, exhale, and bend down laterally at the hips. Bring the right fingers to the inner middle part of the right foot. Keep the left arm straight up toward the ceiling.
Now move the left arm behind your back and place your left hand on the top of your right thigh. Lift the chest up toward the ceiling, and keep your gaze upward.
Inhale, then as you exhale, move deeper into the pose, and bring the right arm underneath and behind the right leg.
Clasp your right and left fingers together, turn the chest up, and gaze over the left shoulder.
Revolved triangle pose (parivrtta trikonasana)
A big benefit of these rotational poses is that they really open up the body to help improve mobility, flexibility, and circulation to areas that may not normally benefit from deep stretches.
Steps
Assume a similar stance to trikonasana poses with the right lead foot pointed to the back of the mat, and the back foot facing left, and slightly inward at a 45-degree angle.
Reach the left arm up to the sky, then square the hips toward the right foot.
Stretch your left arm forward while turning toward the right foot, and bring the left hand down on the floor to the right side of your right foot. Tip: Use a yoga block if you cannot reach all the way down to the floor.
Now shift your weight onto the back foot, and drop the left side of the hip down as you reach the right arm to the sky, and pull the shoulders back. Draw your gaze up to the right thumb. Tip: Use the left hand on the floor to help pull the left shoulder underneath for more rotation.
Stay for five deep breaths.
To come out, rotate your chest toward the floor.
Now from here, lift the left arm up while bringing the right arm down in a sort of windmill motion. Try to transition into an opposite side stance by changing the direction of your feet.
Then perform the same steps but now for the opposite side.
To leave the pose, inhale, come up with the arms held straight out to your sides, then exhale, and finish by turning to the top of the mat and bring the feet together.
Follow the video tutorial below to see this pose in action!
Half Moon Pose
Now that you’re cool with the triangle pose, we think you should give the half moon a try! Also called chandrasana, this posture adds more glute medius, and throws in the element of balance, as you have to lift the back leg.
Steps
Come into a front forward leaning lunge with the right foot in front, pointing straight forward, and back foot turned outward to the left.
Reach the left arm behind you and grab the back of the left leg/hip.
Reach the right arm to the floor and lean onto your finger tips, with the hand directly under the shoulder.
Rise up onto the front leg, and lift the rear leg up parallel to the floor. The lifted foot should be pointed to the left with the feet flexed by pulling the toes up toward the shin.
Root down into the floor with the standing leg by pressing with the four corners of your feet, and extend the bottom leg.
While looking down at the floor, extend the top arm vertical with the fingers pointing straight up toward the sky.
Now you can adjust your gaze to the side or look up at the top hand to challenge your balance further.
You’ll then perform the same technique but on the opposite leg.
FAQs
Is triangle pose safe? The triangle pose is safe for people who actively practice yoga, and are free from major or bothersome bodily injuries or limitations. We advise against practicing trikonasana if you have back or hips issues especially.
Wrapping Up
This yoga training guide should arm you with all the tips and tricks for performing an efficient triangle pose. The key to a good trikonasana technique is getting that lateral flexion without bumping the hips out to get down. Rather, utilize a yoga block, and do it the right way, developing patience as you learn proper movement mechanics and body posture to achieve a variety of poses.
Lat Pulldown Guide: Muscles Worked, How-To, Benefits, and Different Grips
If you want to build a stronger, more muscular upper back, lat pulldowns will help. Sure, pull-ups and chin-ups are more hardcore and “functional,” but lat pulldowns make it easier to target your muscles with laser-like precision. Small changes to your torso angle or hand width will affect the target muscles differently.
And speaking of your hands, should you do lat pulldowns with a wide, medium, narrow, parallel, overhand, or underhand grip? With so many options, it can be hard to know what’s best.
In this article, we explain how to do lat pulldowns correctly and how the different grips affect your muscles.
Lat Pulldowns – Muscles Worked
Contrary to popular opinion, the “lat” in lat pulldowns doesn’t refer to your latissimus dorsi muscle. Instead, it’s short for lateral, which is the plane of movement that your arms move in when you perform this exercise.
However, despite this naming confusion, lat pulldowns do indeed work your lats. That said, they aren’t working alone, and several other muscles are also involved:
Latissimus dorsi
Known as the lats for short, these muscles are located on the side of your upper back. Connecting your arms to your trunk, the lats are responsible for the adduction and extension of your shoulder joints. They also play a role in medial rotation. When well-developed, the lats look like muscular wings and are responsible for your upper back width.
The lats are the agonist or prime mover during lat pulldowns. However, using different grips and hand widths will allow you to emphasize different regions of this muscle.
Trapezius
The trapezius is the large diamond-shaped muscle that covers much of your mid-upper back. Known as the traps for short, there are three sets of fibers that make up this muscle – upper, middle, and lower. The middle and upper fibers are most active during lat pulldowns, as they work to pull your shoulders together and down. The upper traps are not very active during lat pulldowns.
Rhomboids
Located between your scapulae or shoulder blades, the rhomboids work with the mid-traps to pull your shoulders back and together. There are two pairs of rhomboid muscles – major and minor – and both are working during lat pulldowns.
Deltoids
The deltoids or delts are your main shoulder muscles. Like the traps, there are three sets of deltoid fibers, often referred to as heads – anterior (front), medial (middle), and posterior (rear). All three delt heads work together, but the posterior head is the most active during lat pulldowns.
Rotator cuff
The rotator cuff is a group of four small muscles that control and stabilize your shoulder joint. These muscles are the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis. While you won’t be able to see or feel these muscles during lat pulldowns, you can be sure they’re actively engaged.
Biceps brachii
The biceps brachii, more commonly just called the biceps, is your primary elbow flexor and also supinates your forearm, i.e., turns your palm up. Located on the front of your upper arms, your biceps play a critical role in lat pulldowns. Using a supinated or palms-up grip puts your biceps in a stronger position, so you may find that grip allows you to use more weight.
Brachialis
The brachialis is like a mini-biceps, helping to flex your elbows. However, unlike the biceps brachii, this muscle plays no part in the supination of your forearm. As such, it’s equally involved regardless of what grip you use.
Brachioradialis
Brachioradialis is one of your main forearm/wrist flexors and plays a big part in your grip strength. If your hands start to fail before your lats, this muscle is a likely culprit. You can work around a weak grip by using lifting straps. However, it’s also a good idea to work on your grip strength so it is less of a limiting factor in your workouts.
Core
Core is the collective name for the muscles that make up your midsection. During lat pulldowns, you’ll need to use these muscles to stop the weight pulling your spine into hyperextension. The core muscles include the rectus abdominis, obliques, transverse abdominis, and erector spinae. However, the rectus abdominis is the most active.
How to Do Lat Pulldowns
There are several ways to do lat pulldowns, as outlined later in this article. However, the medium-width overhand grip is arguably the most common variation and the one most lifters should master before moving on to other options.
In addition, all types of lat pulldown share many of the same characteristics, so it makes sense to master this version first.
So, get more from lat pulldowns while keeping your risk of injury to a minimum by following these guidelines.
Attach a long bar to your lat pulldown machine.
Adjust the knee pad so that, when your feet are flat on the floor, it holds your legs in place.
Stand up and hold the bar with a pronated/overhand, slightly wider than shoulder-width grip.
Pull your shoulders down and back and sit down. Make sure your legs are held securely in place.
Lift your chest and arch your lower back slightly.
Leading with your elbows, bend your arms and pull the bar down to your upper chest. Do not flex your wrists.
Contract your lats as hard as possible at the mid-point of each rep.
Smoothly extend your arms and continue for the desired number of reps.
Pro Tips:
Make lat pulldowns even more effective with these handy performance tips, many of which can be applied to other lat pulldown variations:
Do not lean back or sway to pull the bar down. This takes tension away from the target muscles.
Squeeze and don’t jerk the weight down to minimize momentum and keep your muscles under tension for longer.
Pause at the midpoint of each rep to maximize lats activation and improve your mind-muscle connection.
Use a full range of motion to maximize muscle engagement.
Avoid using too much weight. Ego-lifting will make lat pulldowns less effective. Make sure you can feel the lats doing most of the work and not your biceps.
Pull to the front and not the back. Behind-the-neck lat pulldowns are harder on your shoulders and reduce lat engagement, making the exercise less effective but more risky.
Use a false or thumbless grip which tends to reduce biceps activation and lets you focus more on your lats.
Use lifting chalk to dry your hands, prevent slippage, and reinforce your grip.
Use lifting straps of your hands fail before your lats. However, you should also work on developing a stronger grip.
Lat Pulldown Benefits and Drawbacks
Not sure if lat pulldowns deserve a place in your workouts? Consider these benefits and then decide!
Very adjustable and accessible
Pull-ups and chin-ups are great, but you need to be strong enough to lift your body weight using just your arm and back muscles. This feat may be beyond the ability of many exercisers, either because they’re weak or heavy.
You can adjust the weight with lat pulldowns, so they are accessible to all levels of strength and experience, irrespective of body weight.
Very safe
Performed with good technique and an appropriate load, there is very little to go wrong with lat pulldowns, and accidents and injuries are rare. They’re very shoulder-friendly, and most people can find a grip that is both comfortable and effective.
Perfect for intensity-boosting drop sets
Most lat pulldown machines have selectorized weight stacks, so you can change the load quickly and easily. This makes them ideal for drop sets. Rep out to failure, reduce (or drop) the weight by 10-15%, and then rep out again. Do 2-4 drops to fully exhaust your muscles and stimulate maximal hypertrophy.
Widely available
Most gyms have at least one lat pulldown machine. As such, this is a very accessible exercise, and most gymgoers should be able to include it in their back workouts.
Plenty of variations to choose from
As you will see in the next section, there are numerous ways to perform lat pulldowns, each with a slightly different effect. Lat pulldowns need never be repetitive or boring.
While lat pulldowns are a mostly beneficial exercise, there are also a few drawbacks to consider:
Limited overload
The amount of weight available for lat pulldowns varies from machine to machine. If you are very strong, you may find that you can max out on the lat pulldown at your gym. When this happens, you should seek out a plate-loading lat pulldown machine or graduate to weighted pull-ups.
Using very heavy weights can be difficult
Getting into the correct lat pulldown starting position with a weight greater than your body weight can be a real challenge. You may find yourself dangling from the bar and unable to get your legs under the knee pads.
If this happens to you, you can ask a training partner to help you or may need to switch to pull-ups, where getting into the right starting position is considerably easier.
Equipment requirements
While most gyms have at least one lat pulldown machine, you probably won’t have space for one in your home gym. As such, most home exercisers cannot do lat pulldowns. However, you can replicate this exercise with resistance bands, or you can do pull-ups and chin-ups instead, using a resistance band for assistance if necessary.
10 Lat Pulldown Variations and Alternatives
Basic overhand medium-grip lat pulldowns are an excellent exercise, but if that’s all you ever do, you’ll soon get bored and hit a plateau. Changing your grip will affect the target muscles slightly differently and help you avoid training ruts.
Use these variations to customize your back workout and target the areas you want to develop. However, remember that the lats will always be the engine that drives your lat pulldowns, and any changes you make will only have a very small effect.
1. Overhand wide-grip lat pulldowns
Overhand wide-grip lat pulldowns are very popular with bodybuilders. They use this exercise to increase upper lat width, creating that highly prized V-shaped torso. On the downside, a wide grip is less efficient, so you won’t be able to lift as much weight. This means wide-grip lat pulldowns are good for muscle hypertrophy but less so for building strength.
Steps:
Attach a long bar to your lat pulldown machine.
Adjust the knee pad so that, when your feet are flat on the floor, it holds your legs in place.
Stand up and hold the bar with a pronated/overhand, wider than shoulder-width grip. Your arms should form a broad V-shape.
Pull your shoulders down and back and sit down. Make sure your legs are held securely in place.
Lift your chest and arch your lower back slightly.
Leading with your elbows, bend your arms and pull the bar down to your upper chest. Keep your wrists straight.
Smoothly extend your arms and continue for the desired number of reps.
Muscles targeted:
Latissimus dorsi (upper), trapezius, rhomboids, biceps, forearms, core.
Benefits:
Fill out your upper lats to make your back wider.
More challenging than most other lat pulldown variations.
Less weight is needed for an effective workout.
Tips:
Drive your elbows down, back, and in to maximize lat and mid-back engagement.
Keep your wrists straight.
Lift your chest up toward the bar.
2. Overhand close-grip lat pulldowns
You won’t see many people doing overhand close grip lat pulldowns because they’re hard and feel a little awkward. However, they involve a large range of motion, making them useful for developing lat flexibility. They hit your forearms hard and emphasize the lower fibers of your lats.
Steps:
Attach a bar to your lat pulldown machine.
Adjust the knee pad so that, when your feet are flat on the floor, it holds your legs in place.
Stand up and hold the bar with a pronated/overhand, slightly less shoulder-width grip.
Pull your shoulders down and back and sit down. Make sure your legs are held securely in place.
Lift your chest and arch your lower back slightly.
Leading with your elbows, bend your arms and pull the bar down to your upper chest. Tuck your elbows into your sides.
Contract your lats as hard as possible at the mid-point of each rep.
Smoothly extend your arms and continue for the desired number of reps.
Muscles targeted:
Latissimus dorsi (lower), trapezius, rhomboids, biceps, forearms, core.
Benefits:
An effective way to target the lower lats.
A challenging forearm workout.
Provides your lats with a deep, beneficial stretch.
Tips:
Keep your upper arms close to your sides as you pull down.
Drive your elbows back to maximize lat engagement.
Do not lean back, as doing so makes this exercise easier.
3. Neutral close-grip lat pulldowns
This popular exercise works in much the same way as #2 but is considerably easier on your wrists and more comfortable. The neutral or parallel close grip is also very strong, and most lifters can use more weight for this variation. Like overhand close-grip lat pulldowns, this exercise emphasizes your lower lats and also hits your mid-back.
Steps:
Attach a neutral grip bar to your lat pulldown machine.
Adjust the knee pad so that, when your feet are flat on the floor, it holds your legs in place.
Stand up and hold the bar with your palms facing inward.
Pull your shoulders down and back and sit down. Make sure your legs are held securely in place.
Lift your chest and arch your lower back slightly.
Leading with your elbows, bend your arms and pull the bar down to your upper chest. Tuck your elbows into your sides.
Contract your lats as hard as possible at the mid-point of each rep.
Smoothly extend your arms and continue for the desired number of reps.
Muscles targeted:
Latissimus dorsi (lower), trapezius, rhomboids, biceps, forearms, core.
Benefits:
A comfortable, joint-friendly grip.
Hits both the mid back and lower lats.
Develop back width and thickness simultaneously.
Tips:
Lean back slightly to increase mid-back engagement.
Use a little more weight than for conventional lat pulldowns.
Use lifting straps to reinforce your grip if necessary.
4. Reverse grip lat pulldowns
Using a reverse or supinated grip puts your biceps in their strongest position, so you should be able to use more weight or crank out more reps before hitting failure. On the downside, using a reverse grip slightly decreases lat engagement, but using more weight or doing more reps should cancel out this deficit.
Steps:
Attach a straight bar to your lat pulldown machine.
Adjust the knee pad so that, when your feet are flat on the floor, it holds your legs in place.
Stand up and hold the bar with a slightly less than shoulder-width underhand grip.
Pull your shoulders down and back and sit down. Make sure your legs are held securely in place.
Lift your chest and arch your lower back slightly.
Leading with your elbows, bend your arms and pull the bar down to your upper chest. Tuck your elbows into your sides.
Contract your lats as hard as possible at the mid-point of each rep.
Smoothly extend your arms and continue for the desired number of reps.
Muscles targeted:
Latissimus dorsi (lower), biceps, trapezius, rhomboids, forearms, core.
Benefits:
An excellent biceps and back exercise.
Good for building strength.
A useful precursor to bodyweight chin-ups.
Tips:
Keep your forearms parallel throughout.
Drive your elbows down and back to maximize lat engagement.
Use a little more weight, as this is a strong grip and arm position.
5. Neutral wide grip lat pulldown
Wide grip pulldowns are typically done using a straight bar and a pronated grip. While effective, this puts your arms in a mechanically disadvantageous position, limiting the weight you can use and the number of reps you can perform. Using a wide neutral grip bar makes for a more comfortable workout and puts your biceps in a stronger position. However, not all gyms have such a bar.
Steps:
Attach a long parallel grip bar to your lat pulldown machine.
Adjust the knee pad so that, when your feet are flat on the floor, it holds your legs in place.
Stand up and hold the bar with your palms facing inward.
Pull your shoulders down and back and sit down. Make sure your legs are held securely in place.
Lift your chest and arch your lower back slightly.
Leading with your elbows, bend your arms and pull the bar down to your upper chest. Tuck your elbows into your sides.
Smoothly extend your arms and continue for the desired number of reps.
Muscles targeted:
Latissimus dorsi (upper), biceps, trapezius, rhomboids, forearms, core.
Benefits:
A strong, comfortable grip.
Allows you to lift more weight and/or do more reps.
An excellent biceps workout.
Tips:
Pull your elbows down and into your sides to maximize lat engagement.
Keep your chest up throughout.
Pause at the bottom of each rep and flex your lats hard.
6. Cable crossover lat pulldowns
What’s wider than wide-grip lat pulldowns? This exercise! Cable crossover lat pulldowns involve pulling in from the sides, which really hits your upper lats. It’s not unusual to feel this exercise directly beneath your armpits. Use this move to fill in your lat gaps and build the ultimate V-taper.
Steps:
Stand between the uppermost handles of a cable crossover machine and take one in each hand. Kneel in the middle of the machine with your arms outstretched to form a Y-shape.
Lift your chest and pull your shoulders down and back.
Bend your arms and pull your elbows into your sides.
Extend your arms and repeat.
Continue for the desired number of reps.
Muscles targeted:
Latissimus dorsi (upper), trapezius, rhomboids, biceps, forearms, core.
Benefits:
One of the best exercises for wider upper lats.
Very shoulder-friendly.
An excellent back workout finisher.
Tips:
Pause at the midpoint of each rep to hammer your upper lats.
Keep your arms out level with your torso.
Lift your chest to increase upper back engagement.
7. Single-arm lat pulldowns
While it’s common to have one arm stronger than the other, big left-to-right strength imbalances can affect both your appearance and your upper body function. Single-arm lat pulldowns are a simple way to fix such imbalances and are also an excellent method for improving your mind-muscle connection, not to mention your lateral core strength.
Steps:
Attach a long D-shaped handle to your lat pulldown machine.
Adjust the knee pad so that, when your feet are flat on the floor, it holds your legs in place.
Stand up and hold the handle with one hand.
Pull your shoulders down and back and sit down. Make sure your legs are held securely in place.
Lift your chest and arch your lower back slightly.
Leading with your elbow, bend your arm and pull the handle down to your shoulder. Tuck your elbow into your side.
Smoothly extend your arm and continue for the desired number of reps.
Switch arms and do the same number of reps on the other side.
Muscles targeted:
Latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboids, biceps, forearms, core.
Benefits:
An effective fix for left-to-right strength imbalances.
Good for enhancing your mind-muscle connection.
Delivers an excellent oblique workout.
Tips:
Keep your shoulders and hips level throughout.
Pull your elbow in close to your side to maximize lat engagement.
Use an overhand, neutral, or underhand grip as preferred. Alternatively, let your wrists rotate naturally as you pull down.
8. Straight arm pulldowns
Every lat pulldown variation discussed so far works the biceps as much as the lats. In contrast, straight arm pulldowns involve no elbow movement, and your biceps are left out of the exercise. Straight arm pulldowns are one of the few lat isolation exercises and are ideal for warming up or finishing off your lats.
Steps:
Attach a straight bar to a lat pulldown machine.
Hold the bar with an overhand, slightly wider than shoulder-width grip. Brace your core and pull your shoulders back and down.
With straight arms, step back to tension the cable. Lean forward slightly from your hips.
Without bending your elbows, push the bar down to your thighs.
Raise your arms and repeat.
Muscles targeted:
Latissimus dorsi (lower), trapezius, rhomboids, core.
Benefits:
One of a few lat isolation exercises.
Perfect for pre- and post-exhaust supersets.
This is an excellent exercise for swimmers and anyone whose sport involves throwing.
Tips:
Keep your chest up, core tight, and lower back slightly arched.
Use as big a range of motion as possible without letting the weights touch down.
Experiment with different grip widths to see which you prefer.
9. Resistance band pulldowns
Home exercisers are often unable to do lat pulldowns. After all, not everyone can fit a lat pulldown machine in their home gym, and chin-ups and pull-ups may be out of the question. The good news is that you can replicate all of the previous exercises using a resistance band and a suitable anchor.
Just ensure that your resistance band is in good condition and won’t snap mid-rep, and your anchor is strong enough and won’t fail. Getting hit in the face by a resistance band is no laughing matter!
Armed with your resistance band, you should have no problem recreating your favorite pulldown exercise and working your lats at home.
10. Pull-ups and chin-ups
If you are very strong or don’t have access to a lat pulldown machine, pull-ups and chin-ups could be your next best option. Yes, you’ll need to up your game and lift your entire body weight with just your arms, but that will only enhance your muscle and strength gains. Pull-ups and chin-ups might be low-tech, but they’re very high-effect and offer a lot of bang for your workout buck.
Steps:
Hang from an overhead bar using a wider-than-shoulder-width overhand grip (pull-ups) or a narrower-than-shoulder-width underhand grip (chin-ups).
Pull your shoulders back and down and brace your core. Bend your legs so your feet are clear of the floor.
Starting with straight arms, bend your elbows and pull your chin up and over your bar.
Smoothly lower yourself back down and repeat.
Muscles targeted:
Latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboids, biceps, forearms, core.
Benefits:
Minimal equipment required so ideal for home and outdoor workouts.
A very functional pulling exercise.
A good test of relative strength.
Tips:
Don’t swing, kick, or kip, as doing so takes work away from your target muscles.
Think about lifting your chest and not your chin up to the bar to increase muscle recruitment.
Use a resistance band to make these exercises easier or a weighted vest to make them more challenging.
Lat Pulldown Guide FAQs
Do you have a question about lat pulldowns or back training in general? No problem, because we’ve got the answers.
1. What is an easy way to remember which lat pulldown exercise works which muscles?
With ten different lat pulldown variations and alternatives, it would be easy to forget which one works which muscles. However, there are a couple of ways to make all this information easier to remember.
As a general rule, the wider your grip, the more upper lat activation there will be. Think wide grip for wide lats. In contrast, a narrower grip tends to hit your lower lats more. Exercises that involve more pulling in than pulling down emphasize your middle back, i.e., mid-traps and rhomboids.
Keeping this in mind, you should have no problem identifying which part of your lats you are working on.
2. How many reps and sets should I do to build bigger lats?
Contrary to popular belief, you can build bigger muscles with almost any rep range – from as low as five to 30 reps or more. The main proviso is that you must train your muscles to within a couple of reps of failure to make them grow. This contrasts the 6-12 rep range that was once the standard recommendation for hypertrophy training.
That said, sets of 6-12 are arguably more time-efficient than sets of 30 or more, so use your best judgment when deciding how many reps to do.
Regarding sets, two to four should be sufficient for most people, especially if you are doing several back exercises in a row. If you feel you need more than four sets to fatigue your lats, you are either stopping your sets too soon before failure or resting too long between efforts.
3. How many times a week should I train my back?
While some lifters can get good results from one back workout per week, most people will make better progress if they train their backs twice a week, e.g., Monday and Thursday. This provides a good balance between work and recovery.
However, this doesn’t mean you should do the same back workout each time you train – that would soon become boring. Instead, create two different back programs to keep your workouts interesting and productive.
For example:
#
Workout one
Workout two
Exercise
Sets x reps
Exercise
Sets x reps
1
Deadlifts
4 x 4-6
Pendlay rows
4 x 4-6
2
Wide-grip lat pulldown
3 x 8-10
Close-grip lat pulldowns
3 x 8-10
3
Single-arm rows
3 x 10-12
Seated cable rows
3 x 10-12
4
Straight arm pulldowns
3 x 15-20
Dumbbell pullovers
3 x 15-20
5
Face pulls
3 x 15-20
Band pull-aparts
3 x 15-20
4. How much wider will wide-grip lat pulldowns make my back?
Unfortunately, this is one of those questions we cannot answer. That’s because your ultimate muscle shape and size are determined by several factors, including your genetics, muscle origin and insertion points, training history, attention to diet, rest, and recovery, and your commitment and motivation.
Even if we knew all these things, we don’t have a crystal ball and cannot see into the future!
So, all we can say is if you train hard, eat right, get plenty of sleep, and don’t quit, you can significantly increase your back width. Build your workouts around lat pulldowns and pull-ups, and you’ll be heading in the right direction.
5. What are the best exercises for building a thicker upper back?
While lat pulldowns are great for building back width, rows build upper back thickness. There are lots of effective rowing exercises, including:
Bent-over barbell rows
T-bar rows
Cable rows
Inverted rows
Single-arm dumbbell rows
Chest-supported rows
Kroc rows
Pendlay rows
Meadows rows
Yates rows
With so many different exercises to choose from, you should have no problem finding the perfect rows for your needs and goals. Combine vertical and horizontal pulling exercises to build a back that’s both wide AND thick.
Lat Pulldown Guide – Wrapping Up
Lat pulldowns deserve a place in everybody’s back workout. Regardless of which variation you perform, this popular exercise will help you develop a broader, stronger, more muscular upper back. You can emphasize your lower lats with close grip lat pulldown variations or spread your wings with a wide grip. Most lifters should do both.
However, wide lats are only part of what makes an impressive back; you also need thickness, which is where rows come in. Combine vertical and horizontal pulling exercises to build an impressive 3D back that looks good from every angle.
Hero Pose Virasana: Technique Tips, Common Mistakes, and Variations
The hero pose virasana is a basic sitting variation, suitable lotus pose alternative for meditative practice, and heck of a quad stretch, especially when you recline the posture in supta virasana. You’ve seen babies sit this way, so how hard could it be? Well, if you hardly stretch or sit in various legs crossed positions, it can be very painful or impossible. A lack of quad tissue flexibility, as well as in the ankles and feet, will be the first things you’ll notice when conforming to this pose.
But if you can’t get the hero pose on the first try, use the simple tricks and progressions in this guide. Then when you need something more challenging we have that too!
What Is Hero Pose Virasana?
While some poses are downright difficult and complex, the hero pose is a basic style of sitting on your butt with your knees on and floor and feet bent back next to the hips. That’s not to say it’s easy, because you cannot have the flexibility of a mummy and expect to sit right down in this pose. But it shouldn’t take long to master either.
Taken from its sangskrit definition, vira meaning “hero”, and asana meaning “posture” or “seat”, hero pose is usually combined with supta virasana, or the reclined (Facing up) variation that lengthens the stretch in the anterior thigh quadriceps muscles.
However, beginners may first need to put on the training wheels to condition their quads, shins, ankles, and feet for the full pose. In virasana, the weight of your body combined with full knee flexion and ankle extension can be painful, especially at first. But you can go at it gradually, using the techniques discussed in the tips and variations sections in this guide. From there, the hero pose can be used to transition in and out of other poses.
Muscles Involved In Hero Pose Virasana
The hero pose is more of a relaxed sitting position but there are some muscle strengthening benefits. Although the stretch in the quadriceps is the real advantage here.
Quadriceps
If you haven’t stretched your quads in ages, you’ll immediately know while getting down into the hero pose. While virasana is said to strengthen the legs and feet, we see it affecting the quads mostly. The hero pose places the front thigh in a stretched angle by closing the knees, and sitting between the feet.
Your quadriceps, while previously thought to have four muscles (hence “quad”) actually consists of five individual heads. These anterior upper leg muscles support knee extension, and hip flexion. They are major muscles in all athletic movements, while supporting posture and the walking process.
Now that you know the primary muscle in this pose, let’s go over the virasana technique.
How To Do Hero Pose Virasana
Few poses are as simple in terms of technique than virasana. It’s literally a sitting position that we’ve all done as a baby, and if a baby could do it well… there’s no excuse. You may need to work on other stretches before you can perform this pose though, because if you’re not bendy, it won’t be possible.
Below are the basic steps to performing hero pose, and you’ll also find a video demonstration with progressions.
Steps
Start by sitting on the your mat with your legs extended in front of you.
Bend your right leg and pull the heel into the right side of your buttock. Then do the same with your left leg. The toes should be pointing behind you, and the knees close together.
Place your hands palms up on your thighs, touching the pointer fingers and thumbs. Keep your spine tall, and elbows softly bent.
To leave virasana, place both hands on the left side and straighten the right leg in front of you. The bring the hands over to the right side, and straighten the left leg.
Check out the below video demonstration to see how virasana is done!
Read also: Half Moon Pose Ardha Chandrasana – Benefits, Common Mistakes, and Variations
Tips
If you cannot sit all the way down on the floor, place a cushion (bolster), yoga block, or rolled up towel under your butt. This decreases the degree of knee flexion, and hence the pain and discomfort commonly experienced during hero pose.
You can also wedge a cushion or bolster between your knees and under your shins, if more comfort is needed.
A little discomfort is normal an necessary when you’re trying to master a pose. However, extreme pain and discomfort are not.
Progress to the reclining supta for a deeper and more intense stretch.
The knees should be together as explained in the common mistakes section.
Benefits of Hero Pose Virasana
It looks so simple, how could a common sitting position be beneficial? There are some good reasons to practice this pose.
Great daily postural reminder
Many of us have bad posture, which can be due to tight, shortened muscles or the fact that we view our devices in non ergonomic positions that cause us to slump and move our heads forward.
Yoga practice is a good way to remind yourself to sit up straight, and use good posture. That’s because these poses require technique, and if we consciously know that, we’ll create an internal checklist to ensure we’re doing it correctly.
Having good posture makes us look more attractive, helps us to breathe better, have less fatigue, and prevent injuries, especially when weight training. So the more good posture practice, the better.
Alternative to lotus
For the same reason we sit in powerful positions like lotus pose, the hero pose is a good alternative sitting position for meditation. Virasana is not quite as challenging to master, and it can help to build your flexibility and leg strength to help you sit longer.
Stretches the lower body
An obvious benefit of hero pose is that some areas remain in a stretched positions such as the quads, ankles, feet, and also the knees. This is a just a good way to keep your muscles flexible and healthy, pain free in other poses and loose, which creates a healthy moving body and supports good posture.
Common Mistakes During Hero Pose Virasana
Such a simple exercise, how could you mess up the hero pose? There are some minor things you should avoid when practicing this technique.
Forcing the legs back/ not using props
Done incorrectly, you could bend or twist something the wrong way or put too much pressure on the knees and ankles. If you cannot do the hero pose safely, it’s better to place a cushion under your butt. This way you create more room for your joints to move safely.
It’s normal to experience a little discomfort in some poses, but there’s a difference between progression and poor strategy.
Pulling the knees apart
Part of proper hero pose technique is keeping the knees together to ensure you maximize the stretch in the legs, and proper and safe alignment of the joints. It may be tempting to pull the knees apart if if feels better, however, we do not recommend doing that. You should, instead use a bolster to prop yourself up and train the knees to be in the right alignment.
Dropping your posture
Another reason we highly recommend using a bolster or cushion if you cannot do hero pose yet, is that it will help you maintain good posture. This will develop a good habit for when you’re ready to do the unassisted version of hero pose.
Bad posture or hunching over is not good for the energy and strength of the pose, as you should be focusing on maintaining a tall, upright spine and strong core. Relax the shoulders, and keep the torso neutral.
Variations of Hero Pose Virasana
For the following variations, we’ll start you off with some easier techniques to help you get into position. Then when you’re very comfortable with virasana, you can aim higher and attempt the more challenging poses.
Hero pose with cushion
Virasana can be impossible for some people when just starting out. To help, you can place a yoga block or symmetrical cushion under your butt, and between your feet. This way, you don’t need as much knee flexion, and you can gradually improve flexibility in the muscles involved in hero pose.
Hero pose with feet crossed
Another progression, you can cross the top of one foot over the bottom of the other foot, and sit back on your feet. This will feel a bit easier if you struggle to get the feet next to your thighs.
Supta virasana
Also called the reclined hero pose, supta virasana is a supine position lying on your back. You should feel extra stretch in your quadriceps, and even more when the arms are extended overhead.
Steps
From virasana, place your palms on the floor behind your hips roughly shoulder width apart, with the fingers pointing forward.
Now slowly drop down onto your forearms, one arm at a time, keeping the elbows directly under the shoulders. Stay here for a few breaths.
If you’re able, lie on your back and straighten the arms next to your body.
For a more intense posture, simply reach the arms back overhead.
Stay there for a few moments, breathing in and out.
To come out, bring the arms forward, gently grab the heels, tuck your chin, and lift up onto your elbows. Then you can sit up in virasana.
If you’d like to counter this pose, you can fold forward, dropping face down on your thighs, while extending the arms back and rest them against the bottom of your feet.
Pro tip: As demonstrated in the primary video example provided in this guide, use the combination of a yoga block and bolster as a training technique for supta virasana.
Downward facing hero pose adho mukha virasana
You can also bend forward into a version of child’s pose, reaching the arms forward and dropping your head toward the floor yo accentuate the stretch in your thighs.
Steps
From virasana, reach your hands up toward the sky.
Then bend forward at the hips, and bring your palms to the floor. Breath in, exhale, and push your hands further forward.
To come out, walk your hands back until you’re sitting upright.
Watch at the 00:56 mark for a demonstration of adho mukha virasana.
Lotus pose
This is the pose famously known around the world and the most symbolic of meditative practice. It more advanced than the hero pose, hence why the latter is a viable substitute, although not perfectly easy or painless either.
Lotus requires more time and practice, and it can also be more risky for the knees if done carelessly. If you’d like to learn this foundational pose, check out our full lotus pose guide.
Steps
Note: Only attempt this pose if you have an advanced level of mobility in the hips, healthy knees, and prior yoga practice.
Start with your legs extended in front of you while seated on your mat.
Then, bend your right leg, and cradle it in your arms, gently swaying it from side to side.
Place the right foot into the left hip bone.
Now bend your left leg, then use your hands to pull your left foot over your right leg, and tuck it into the right side of your hip.
Let your knees drop to the mat, rest your hands palms up on your knees while touching the thumbs and pointer fingers together, and gently close your eyes. Focus on your breath and maintain a tall spine.
Reset your legs by extending them forward, then repeat the same steps but switch the position of your legs. For example, this time you’ll bend and cradle the left leg first. Then you’ll bring the right foot over the left leg to finish the lotus pose.
FAQs
Who should stay away from hero pose? We don’t recommend the hero pose for people with pre existing knee and ankle issues as virasana places a lot of pressure on these joints.
Wrapping Up
You don’t need to be a yoga genius or possess super powers to master the hero pose. It’s among foundational beginner poses that requires a little cooperation from your quads, and feet. The virasana technique is not so easy that anyone can do it, but this kneeling asana can be achieved via progressive methods, and a little tolerance to minor discomfort as your muscle tissues expand and you become more flexible.
Then you can reward yourself by sitting in this posture for relaxation sessions, and pushing for more advanced poses.
Cable Close Grip Seated Row Guide: Muscles Worked, How-To, Benefits, and Alternatives
When it comes to back training, bodybuilders have a saying: If you want to grow, you gotta row! While vertical lat pulldowns and pull-ups are undeniably effective, it’s horizontal rows that pack on the greatest back mass.
However, there are many different rowing exercises to choose from. Your options include bent-over barbell rows, Pendlay rows, T-bar rows, single-arm dumbbell rows, Kroc rows, seal rows, and machine rows.
In this guide, we lift the lid on another popular rowing exercise – the cable close grip seated row. It’s one of our favorites, and it should be one of yours too. However, given how badly this exercise is often performed, it’s evident that some technique revision is required!
Cable Close Grip Seated Row – Muscles Worked
Cable close grip seated rows as a compound pulling exercise. That means they involve multiple muscles and joints working together. The main muscles trained by cable close grip seated rows are:
Latissimus Dorsi
The latissimus dorsi, or lats for short, are located on the sides of your upper back. When well developed, the lats look like wide, muscular wings. The functions of the lats are shoulder joint adduction and extension, the latter of which is part and parcel of cable close grip seated rows.
Trapezius
The trapezius is a large kite-shaped muscle that covers much of your upper back. Known as the traps for short, there are three groups of fibers that make up this muscle – upper, middle, and lower.
While all three sets of fibers are involved in cable close grip seated rows, the middle fibers, located across the shoulder blades, are the most active. These fibers pull your shoulder blades back and together in a movement called retraction.
Rhomboids
The rhomboids are located between your shoulder blades. They work with your mid traps to pull your shoulders back and together, which is called retraction.
Deltoids
The deltoids are your most significant shoulder muscles. Like the traps, there are three groups of fibers, called heads – anterior (front), medial (middle), and posterior (rear). All three deltoid heads are involved in cable close grip seated rows, but the posterior fibers are the most active.
Biceps
While cable close grip seated rows are undoubtedly an upper-back exercise, you’ll probably feel it in your biceps, too. Cable close grip seated rows involve a lot of elbow flexion, which is a function of the biceps. In fact, your biceps may fail before your bigger, stronger back muscles.
Forearms
Any exercise that involves your grip also trains your forearms, and cable close grip seated rows are no exception. Depending on your hand and grip strength, you may benefit from using gym chalk or lifting straps during this exercise so your hands don’t fail before your back muscles.
Core
Cable close grip seated rows are performed without support. As such, you’ll need to use your core muscles to stabilize your spine. Core is the collective term for the muscles of your midsection, including the rectus abdominis, obliques, transverse abdominis, and erector spinae. Bracing or tensing these muscles will ensure your spine remains rigid and stable during cable close grip seated rows.
How to Do Cable Close Grip Seated Row
Get more from cable close grip seated rows while keeping your risk of injury to a minimum by following these guidelines:
Attach a narrow parallel grip handle to a seated row machine or low pulley.
Sit on the bench and place your feet on the footrests. Grab the handle in both hands.
Sit up tall and straight with your arms extended in front of you and knees slightly bent.
Brace your core, and pull your shoulders down and back. Look straight ahead.
Lean forward slightly from your hips and allow your shoulder blades to slide forward. Do not round your lower back.
Shrug your shoulders back, sit up straight, bend your arms, and pull the handle into your abdomen.
Extend your arms and repeat.
Pro Tips:
Use gym chalk or lifting straps to reinforce your grip if required.
Keep your upper body stationary and vertical if you prefer.
Keep your upper arms close to your sides to fully engage all your back muscles.
Lead with your elbows to maximize muscle engagement.
Keep your wrists straight throughout.
Inhale as you bring the handle toward you, and exhale as you extend your arms.
Benefits and Drawbacks
Not sure if cable close grip seated rows deserve a place in your next back workout? Consider these benefits and then decide!
Reduced lower back stress
Exercises like bent-over and T-bar rows put a lot of stress on your lower back. In fact, some fitness coaches and trainers call these movements contraindicated, suggesting they should be avoided. While this is a little over-cautious, there is no denying that unsupported forward flexion can cause injuries, especially if you allow your lumbar spine to round.
However, cable close grip seated rows are much more lower back-friendly. You don’t have to waste energy supporting your upper body weight, so there is less stress on your back. Whether you suffer from back pain or just want to avoid it in the future, cable close grip seated rows are a sensible option.
A time-efficient exercise
Some rowing exercises are unilateral, meaning they train one side of your body at a time. While this is a useful way to identify and fix left-to-right strength imbalances, it can also make your workouts longer.
Bilateral cable close grip seated rows are more time efficient as you train both sides of your back simultaneously. This is a small but welcome advantage for exercisers with limited training time.
A complete upper back workout
While lat pulldowns and pull-ups are both popular and effective, they only tend to work your lats and have much less impact on the trapezius and rhomboids. As such, they can help you develop a wider back but won’t do as much for back thickness.
In contrast, cable close grip seated rows hit the lats AND the traps and rhomboids, making it a more self-contained back workout. Using cable close grip seated rows, you should be able to develop a back that’s both thick and broad.
Easy to adjust the weight
Cable close grip seated rows are usually performed on a machine with a selectorized weight stack. As such, you can quickly and easily change the weight. This makes cable close grip seated rows ideal for muscle-building drop sets. To perform a drop set, rep out to failure, reduce the weight by 10-15%, and immediately rep out again. Do 2-3 weight drops to fully exhaust the target muscles.
While cable close grip seated rows are a mostly beneficial exercise, there are also a couple drawbacks to consider:
Good postural awareness is a must
While cable close grip seated rows are relatively lower back-friendly, that depends on your form and posture. In other words, you need to sit up tall and straight to minimize lower back stress. This requires good postural awareness, and you’ll need to adopt the correct position by relying on your position sense and proprioception.
If you aren’t sure you are in good posture, video your cable close grip seated row workout and make adjustments accordingly.
Equipment requirements
Most commercial gyms have at least one cable seated row machine. But, because they’re usually quite large, heavy, and expensive, home exercisers may not have the space or the budget to put one in their garage or spare room gym.
The good news is there are several similar exercises you can do instead of cable close grip seated rows, which you’ll find described in the following section.
7 Cable Close Grip Seated Row Variations and Alternatives
Cable close grip seated rows are a highly effective upper back exercise, but that doesn’t mean you need to do them all the time. Here are several variations and alternatives you can use to keep your workouts productive and interesting:
1. Single-arm cable seated row
While training both sides of your back and arms at the same time can be an advantage for some, it isn’t for others. Bilateral training can lead to left-to-right strength and developmental imbalances. If you’ve got one side stronger than the other, single-arm cable seated rows could be the answer.
Steps:
Attach a D-shaped handle to a seated row machine or low pulley.
Sit on the bench and place your feet on the footrests. Grab the handle with one hand.
Sit up tall and straight with your arm extended in front of you and knees slightly bent.
Brace your core, and pull your shoulders down and back. Look straight ahead.
Lean forward slightly from your hips and allow your shoulder blades to slide forward. Do not round your lower back.
Shrug your shoulders back, sit up straight, bend your arm, and pull the handle into the side of your abdomen.
Extend your arm and repeat.
Rest a moment, switch sides, and do the same number of reps with the other arm.
Muscles targeted:
Primary: Latissimus dorsi, middle trapezius, rhomboids, posterior deltoids.
Secondary: Biceps, forearms, core.
Benefits:
Identify and fix left-to-right strength imbalances.
Less lower back stress than the bilateral version.
A useful anti-rotation core exercise.
Tips:
Keep your torso upright and shoulders squared throughout.
Use a thick handle to work on your grip strength.
You can also do this exercise with a rope handle.
2. Cable wide grip seated cable row
Regular cable close grip seated rows hit your lats and mid-upper back pretty equally. However, when you switch to a wide grip, your mid-traps, rhomboids, and posterior deltoids get more of a workout, and your lats must take a back seat. This is an excellent variation for developing upper back thickness and improving posture.
Steps:
Attach a long bar to a cable seated row machine.
Sit on the machine with your legs slightly bent and torso upright.
Hold the bar with a slightly wider than shoulder-width overhand grip.
Starting with your arms straight, bend your arms and pull the bar into your sternum.
Extend your arms and repeat.
Muscles targeted:
Primary: Middle trapezius, rhomboids, posterior deltoids, latissimus dorsi.
Secondary: Biceps, forearms, core.
Benefits:
An excellent way to emphasize the mid-upper back.
A good exercise for better posture.
A very effective movement for developing the posterior deltoids.
Tips:
Keep your elbows high throughout.
Pull your shoulders back and down while keeping your chest up.
Do not bend your wrists to pull the bar closer to your chest. Pull your elbows back instead.
3. Supinated grip seated cable row
Using a supinated or palms-up grip puts your biceps in a stronger position. As such, with this variation, you should be able to either lift more weight or do more reps. However, if you’ve got tight arms, you may find it hard, if not impossible, to fully extend your elbows. Try it and see how you get on; this exercise is not for everyone.
Steps:
Attach a straight bar to a cable seated row machine.
Sit on the machine with your legs slightly bent and torso upright.
Hold the bar with a shoulder-width supinated or underhand grip.
Starting with your arms straight, bend your arms and pull the bar into your abdomen.
Extend your arms and repeat.
Muscles targeted:
Primary: Latissimus dorsi, middle trapezius, rhomboids, posterior deltoids.
Secondary: Biceps, forearms, core.
Benefits:
A stronger position for the biceps.
A useful addition to close and wide grip seated cable rows.
A good back AND biceps builder.
Tips:
Lead with your elbows, and keep your upper arms close to your sides.
Adopt and maintain good posture throughout.
Try a narrow and medium-width grip to see which you prefer.
4. Resistance band seated row
No seated row machine? No problem! You can replicate this popular back exercise with a simple resistance band. All you need is a strong anchor and a suitable band. The type with handles at each is ideal. This is an excellent option for home workouts.
Steps:
Attach the middle of your band to a strong, low anchor.
Sit on the floor with your legs extended, knees slightly bent. Sit up straight, brace your core, and pull your shoulders back and down.
With one end of the band in each hand, pull the handles into your lower ribs.
Extend your arms and repeat.
Muscles targeted:
Primary: Latissimus dorsi, middle trapezius, rhomboids, posterior deltoids.
Secondary: Biceps, forearms, core.
Benefits:
An ideal exercise for home workouts.
Do this exercise almost anywhere and anytime, even while traveling.
A very joint-friendly back exercise.
Tips:
Sit on a low chair for comfort if necessary.
You can also do this exercise by looping your band around your feet.
Pull the handles into your chest to hit your upper back more than your lats.
5. Cable close grip standing row
While cable close grip seated rows are an excellent bodybuilding and strength training exercise, they’re not exactly functional. After all, other than at the gym, when was the last time you pulled a heavy weight toward you while sitting in a chair?
This standing variation is a little more functional and should carry over better to sports and activities outside of the gym.
Steps:
Attach a narrow parallel grip handle to an adjustable cable machine set to around mid-chest height.
Hold the handle with both hands and step back to tension the cable. Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent for stability.
Pull your shoulders back and down, brace your core, and look straight ahead.
Bend your arms and pull the handle into your abdomen.
Extend your arms and repeat.
Muscles targeted:
Primary: Latissimus dorsi, middle trapezius, rhomboids, posterior deltoids.
Secondary: Biceps, forearms, core.
Benefits:
More functional than seated cable rows.
Burns more calories than the seated variation, as you have to use your legs for support.
Less lower back stress and a reduced chance of rounding your lumbar spine.
Tips:
You can also do this exercise in a split stance.
Use a D-shaped handle and work one arm at a time if preferred.
Keep your upper arms close to your sides to maximize back engagement.
6. Inverted row
You don’t need a cable machine to train your upper back. In fact, all you really need is your body weight and a suitable bar. This exercise is ideal for home workouts and is also more functional than seated cable rows, as you have to stabilize your entire body to perform it correctly.
Steps:
Adjust the bar in a Smith machine or put a barbell in a squat rack at around hip height. Lock it in place so it won’t move.
Sit on the floor below the bar and hold it using an overhand, slightly wider than shoulder-width grip.
Extend your legs and lift your hips so your body is straight.
Starting with straight arms, bend your elbows and pull your chest up to the bar.
Extend your arms and repeat.
Muscles targeted:
Primary: Latissimus dorsi, middle trapezius, rhomboids, posterior deltoids.
Secondary: Biceps, forearms, core.
Benefits:
A very functional upper-back exercise.
An ideal exercise for home workouts.
Good for developing better posture.
Tips:
Make this exercise easier by bending your legs or raising the height of the bar.
Make it more challenging by putting your feet on a bench or wearing a weighted vest.
You can also do this exercise with gymnastic rings or a suspension trainer, e.g., a TRX.
7. Cable chest supported seated row
While cable close grip seated rows are already pretty lower back-friendly, there is still some stress on the muscles surrounding your lumbar spine. People with a history of lower back pain may find even this low amount of tension problematic. This rowing variation eliminates almost all lower back stress.
Steps:
Place an exercise bench in front of a low pulley machine so the backrest is upright and facing away from the weight stack.
Sit on the machine with your chest against the backrest, your feet flat on the floor, and the handles/bar in your hands.
Pull your shoulders down and back, and brace your core.
Bend your arms and pull your hands into your abdomen.
Extend your arms and repeat.
Muscles targeted:
Primary: Latissimus dorsi, middle trapezius, rhomboids, posterior deltoids.
Secondary: Biceps, forearms, core.
Benefits:
A very lower back-friendly rowing exercise.
An accessible exercise as most gyms have the necessary machine and benches.
An excellent exercise for beginners and older people.
Tips:
You can do this exercise using a dual pulley machine or a single cable.
Use a rope handle to increase your range of motion.
Keep your upper arms close to your sides to maximize upper back engagement.
Cable Close Grip Seated Row FAQs
Do you have a question about cable close grip seated rows or back training in general? No problem, because we’ve got the answers!
1. Which is better – Cable close grip seated rows or lat pulldowns?
Cable close grip seated rows and lat pulldowns involve many of the same muscles. However, where cable close grip seated rows are a horizontal pulling movement, lat pulldowns are vertical. This means cable close grip seated rows involve the mid traps and rhomboids more than lat pulldowns.
Does this make cable close grip seated rows better than pulldowns? That depends on what you want from your exercises. If you want to emphasize your lats, lat pulldowns are probably the way to go.
But, if you want to work your mid-traps and rhomboids more, cable close grip seated rows could be the best choice.
That said, these exercises complement one another, so if you can find space in your workouts for both of these movements, then you probably should.
2. Are cable close grip seated rows safe?
While no exercise is 100% safe, cable close grip seated rows are pretty low risk, especially if you avoid using too much weight and do them with the correct technique. They’re certainly safer than some other rowing exercises, such as bent-over and T-bar rows.
3. Cable close grip seated rows hurt my lower back – what gives?
If cable close grip seated rows hurt your lower back, you are probably rounding your lumbar spine or not sitting in good posture. Get someone to video you or give you feedback so you can determine what you are doing wrong.
Tight hamstrings and a weak core can make it harder to sit up straight, so address these problems if they affect you.
You may also feel your lower back if you are using too much weight.
Switch to the single-arm or chest-supported variations to hit the same muscles but with less pressure on your lower back.
4. How many sets and reps of cable close grip seated rows should I do?
Two to four sets of cable close grip seated rows should be sufficient for most people. If you feel like you need to do more than four sets, you are probably resting too long between efforts or not taking your sets close enough to failure.
Regarding reps per set, anywhere from around eight to 30 will work, providing you push your set to within a couple of reps of failure. However, lower reps, i.e., 8-15, are generally more time-efficient.
5. How often should I train my back?
While you could just train your back once per week, as some bodybuilders do, you’ll probably get better results from two back workouts. However, don’t just repeat the same session twice, as that will soon become boring. Instead, create two workouts with different exercises in each. This will help prevent boredom and overuse injuries. Do these workouts 2-3 days apart to allow time for recovery and growth.
For example:
Workout 1
Workout 2
Exercise
Sets x Reps
Exercise
Sets x Reps
1
Lat pulldowns
4 x 10-12
Pull-ups
4 x AMRAP*
2
Cable seated rows
3 x 12-15
Barbell rows
3 x 6-8
3
Single-arm rows
3 x 12-15
Seal rows
3 x 10-12
4
Dumbbell pullovers
2 x 15-20
Straight-arm pulldowns
2 x 12-15
*AMRAP = As Many Reps as Possible
Cable Close Grip Seated Row – Wrapping Up
Rows are one of the best ways to build a broad, muscular upper back. Horizontal pulling exercises like bent-over, T-bar, single-arm, and Pendlay rows are critical if you want strong, powerful lats, trapezius, and rhomboids.
That said, those exercises can also be hard on your lower back, and the risks may outweigh the benefits for some people. Cable close grip seated rows are more lower-back friendly than some other rowing exercises, and the easy-to-adjust weight stack mean they’re perfect for drop sets.
Combine horizontal rows with vertical pulldowns and pull-ups to hit back your muscles from all angles and build a physique you can be proud of!
Standing Cable Fly Guide: Muscles Worked, How-To, Benefits, and Alternatives
Common gym lore says that if you want to build a massive, sculpted chest, the bench press is the way to go. This is why so many bodybuilding pec workouts start with the bench press. Push-ups are also popular, and dumbbell bench presses and the chest press machine aren’t far behind.
However, despite using different training implements, each of those movements is almost identical. So, if you build your workouts around compound pushing exercises, you’re basically repeating the same move over and over again.
This is not only boring but could make your training less effective than it ought to be.
For this reason, any well-designed chest workout should combine compound pressing exercises like the bench press with isolation movements such as crossovers and flys. This will allow you to hit different parts of your chest, ensuring you develop better-shaped pecs. Switching movements also helps to make your workouts more interesting.
But which supplementary chest exercises should you use? After all, there are plenty to choose from.
In this article, we discuss the benefits of the standing cable fly, explaining how to perform this great exercise and the alternatives you can also use to sculpt the perfect chest.
Standing Cable Fly – Muscles Worked
Standing cable flys are an isolation exercise, which means movement occurs only at one joint – the shoulder. However, despite this, the standing cable fly still involves several important muscles.
These include:
Pectoralis major
Known as the pecs for short, this large fan-shaped muscle makes up most of your chest mass. The pecs consist of three groups of fibers or heads: clavicular (upper), sternal (mid), and costal/abdominal (lower).
Together, the three pec heads are responsible for horizontal flexion and adduction of your shoulder joint. They are also medial rotators. All three heads play a part in standing cable flys; however, the sternal or middle portion is the most active.
Pectoralis minor
The Pectoralis minor is located beneath the upper part of pectoralis major. It works in conjunction with pec major to horizontally flex and protract your shoulder joint. While pec minor is largely out of sight, it still contributes to the shape and size of your chest.
Anterior deltoids
The deltoids are your most significant shoulder muscles. Like the pecs, they are separated into three heads: anterior (front), medial (middle), and posterior (rear). All three deltoid heads are involved in standing cable flys, but the anterior head is the most active.
Serratus anterior
Serratus anterior is located to the side of your upper chest. Its primary function is keeping your scapulae or shoulder blades flat against your rib cage. As such, it’s an essential stabilizer of the shoulder girdle. A well-developed serratus anterior can add a lot to your upper body aesthetics, especially when you’re lean.
Core
With no bench to support you, you’ll need to use your muscles to stabilize your spine and stop your body from moving backward as you move your arms. Core is the collective term for the muscles of your midsection, including the rectus abdominis, obliques, and transverse abdominis. During standing cable flys, you use your core to brace your lumbar spine, preventing unwanted movement.
Biceps and triceps
Standing cable flys involve little or no movement of your elbows. All of the action should occur at your shoulder joints. That said, you’ll still need to use your biceps and triceps to hold your arms rigid. However, they should be working isometrically, i.e., generating force without producing movement.
How to Do Standing Cable Flys
Get more from standing cable flys while keeping your risk of injury to a minimum by following these guidelines:
Attach D-shaped handles to an adjustable cable machine set to around mid-chest height.
Take a handle in each hand and, with your arms slightly bent but rigid, take a step forward to tension the cables, arms extended somewhat behind you. Brace your core.
Adopt a staggered stance for balance and brace your core to stabilize your torso.
Keeping your body upright, bring your arms forward so your hands meet at chest level in front of you. Do not bend your elbows or lean forward at the waist.
Open your arms and return to the starting position, making sure to stretch your chest.
Continue for the prescribed number of reps.
Pro Tips:
This exercise works best with light to moderate weights and medium to high reps, e.g., 12-20 per set.
Pause at the start and midpoint of each rep to maximally engage your pecs.
Move smoothly and deliberately to avoid momentum and keep the tension on the target muscles.
Imagine you are “hugging a tree” to reinforce the correct exercise technique.
Switch leading legs set by set to avoid developing muscle imbalances.
Standing Cable Fly Benefits and Drawbacks
Not sure if standing cable flys are worthy of a place in your workouts? Consider these benefits and then decide!
A very safe exercise
Unlike barbell and dumbbell bench presses, there are no weights to drop on your chest during standing cable flys. As such, you can take your sets to failure with no fear of getting crushed under a heavy load. This means standing cable flys are ideal for solo exercisers.
Shoulder-friendly
With no bench behind your shoulder blades, your arms are free to move naturally and without putting unnecessary stress on your shoulder joints. If bench presses bother your shoulders, you may find that standing cable flys are more comfortable and forgiving.
Perfect for drop sets
Most cable machines have a selectorized weight stack, so you can change the load quickly and easily. This means that standing cable flys are perfect for muscle-building, pump-inducing drop sets. Rep out to failure, reduce the weight by 10-20%, and then rep out again. Repeat several more times until your pecs are thoroughly fatigued.
An excellent chest finisher
Standing cable flys are one of the best exercises for bringing your chest workout to a satisfying end. After bench presses, dips, and chest presses, your triceps will probably be more fatigued than your pecs. With less triceps involvement, you should find that you can still pump out a couple good sets of cable flys to ensure your chest muscles are completely exhausted.
While standing cable flys are a mostly beneficial exercise, there are also a few drawbacks to consider:
It can be tricky for beginners to learn
With no bench for support and the movement all but unguided, beginners may find this exercise tricky to learn. Their arms may not follow the correct movement path, and they may also find it hard to avoid using one arm more than the other. For this reason, some beginners will prefer a less challenging chest isolation exercise, such as pec deck flys.
Not suitable for heavy weights
Using heavy weights will invariably lead to cheating, as you’ll probably need to lean into the exercise to avoid falling backward. This takes tension away from the target muscles, making standing cable flys less effective.
Save the heavy loads for the multi-joint compound exercises in your workouts. Instead, stick to light to moderate weights and medium to high reps with standing cable flys, which reduce the need to cheat.
7 Standing Cable Fly Variations and Alternatives
Standing cable flys are a highly effective chest exercise, but that doesn’t mean you need to do them all the time. There are several variations and alternatives you can use to keep your workouts productive and interesting:
1. Cable crossovers
Cable crossovers and cable flys are easy to confuse as they’re very similar. However, where standing cable flys involve a horizontal arm movement, cable crossovers feature a diagonal motion, either going from high to low or low to high. This allows you to emphasize your upper or lower chest as preferred.
Steps:
Attach D-shaped handles to an adjustable cable machine set to around head height.
Take a handle in each hand and, with your arms slightly bent but rigid, take a step forward to tension the cables, arms extended somewhat behind you. Brace your core.
Adopt a staggered stance for balance and brace your core to stabilize your torso.
Keeping your body upright, bring your arms forward and down so your hands meet in front of your hips. Do not bend your elbows or lean forward at the waist.
Open your arms and raise your hands to about shoulder height, making sure to stretch your chest.
Continue for the prescribed number of reps.
Muscles targeted: Pectoralis major, anterior deltoids.
Benefits:
Hits a different part of the chest compared with standing cable flys.
A very effective lower/inner pec exercise.
Safe and shoulder-friendly.
Tips:
Do this exercise with a single cable to work one side of your chest at a time.
Use a resistance band if no cable machine is available.
You can also do this exercise with a low-to-high movement to work your upper/inner chest.
2. Supine cable fly
One of the biggest disadvantages of standing cable flys is that your core and balance can limit your performance. Lying on an exercise bench means you won’t need to worry about your abs failing before your pecs, so you’ll be able to use more weight and push your muscles closer to failure.
Steps:
Place a bench in the center of a cable crossover machine. Attach a D-shaped handle to the low pulleys.
Take a handle in each hand and sit on the end of the bench. Lean back and extend your arms so they’re vertical, elbows slightly bent but rigid.
Open your arms and lower the handles down and out to the side, getting a good stretch in your pecs.
Squeeze your arms up and together so your hands meet above your chest.
Continue for the prescribed number of reps.
Muscles targeted: Pectoralis major, anterior deltoids.
Benefits:
You should be able to lift more weight or do more reps than with standing cable flys.
More back support, so a good choice for lifters with back pain/injuries.
An excellent mid-chest exercise.
Tips:
Pause at the top of each rep and squeeze your pecs for maximal muscle recruitment.
Use a stability ball instead of a bench if preferred.
You can also do this exercise on an incline bench to work your upper chest.
3. Dumbbell fly
You don’t have to limit yourself to using a cable machine for flys. In fact, dumbbells can be just as effective and may be more accessible and convenient, especially if you train at home. Muscle tension does tend to drop off as your hands come together, but despite this, dumbbell flys are still a good pec builder.
Steps:
Lie on an exercise bench with a dumbbell in each hand. Press the weights up and hold them at arm’s length above your chest. Turn your palms inward, i.e., a neutral grip.
With slightly bent but rigid elbows, open your arms and lower the weights down and out to your sides. Get a stretch in your pecs but do not hyperextend your shoulders.
Squeeze the weight up and together, and then repeat.
Muscles targeted: Pectoralis major, anterior deltoids.
Benefits:
Less equipment-dependent than standing cable flys.
An excellent old-school chest sculpting exercise.
An ideal addition to home chest workouts.
Tips:
Use an incline bench to target your upper pecs or a decline bench to work your lower pecs.
Take care not to lower the weights too far, as doing so could lead to shoulder pain.
No bench? You can also do this exercise on a stability ball.
4. Pec deck machine
Beginners often find it hard to control their arms and follow the correct movement path during standing cable flys. The pec deck machine guides your limbs, so you are free to focus entirely on pounding your pecs into submission. This is an excellent no-brainer alternative to standing cable flys.
Steps:
Adjust the machine seat height so that, when you sit on it, your upper arms are parallel to the floor.
Sit on the machine, grip the handles, and press your forearms against the pads.
Squeeze your elbows together so they meet in front of your chest.
Open your arms, get a stretch in your pecs, and repeat.
Muscles targeted: Pectoralis major, anterior deltoids.
Benefits:
An excellent exercise for beginners.
Works great for drop sets.
Your movements are guided by the machine, leaving you free to focus on pushing your pecs to their limit.
Tips:
Press with your elbows, not your hands or forearms, to maximize chest recruitment.
Pause at the midpoint of each rep to maximize pec engagement.
Do not let the weights touch down between reps, as doing so takes tension off your chest.
5. Towel slide fly
You don’t need a cable machine or dumbbells to do flys – a towel and your body weight will suffice. That said, this is a very challenging exercise, especially for beginners and those with a larger-than-average build.
Steps:
Adopt the push-up position with your hands resting on two towels or slider pads. Brace your core.
Keeping your arms slightly bent but rigid, open your arms and slide your hands outward, lowering your chest down to within an inch of the floor.
Squeeze your hands together and return to the starting position.
That’s one rep – how many more can you do?!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnZOLlxN4hs?feature=share
Muscles targeted: Pectoralis major, anterior deltoids, core.
Benefits:
A very challenging bodyweight pec exercise.
Minimal equipment required, so ideal for home workouts.
Provides a great core workout as you train your chest.
Tips:
Do this exercise while kneeling to make it easier.
This exercise works best when performed on a smooth floor, e.g., tiles or polished wood.
You can also do this exercise using revolving dumbbells or core wheels instead of a towel.
6. Ring/TRX fly
Gymnastic ring and suspension/TRX training are very popular at the moment. Using straps and handles will add a lot to your bodyweight workouts, making them more challenging and effective. Ring/TRX flys are an excellent exercise that can be modified to suit almost any strength and fitness level.
Steps:
Attach your rings/TRX to an overhead anchor. Hold the handles and stand between them, arms extended in front of you. Adopt a split stance.
Open your arms and lower your body forward. Use your front leg more or less to adjust the difficulty of the exercise.
Squeeze your arms back together and repeat.
Muscles targeted: Pectoralis major, anterior deltoids, core.
Benefits:
Less friction to overcome than with towel flys, so potentially easier to perform.
An excellent supplement to other bodyweight chest exercises, such as push-ups and dips.
A very functional, core-centric bodyweight chest exercise.
Tips:
Bend your legs and rest on your knees to make this exercise easier.
Shorten your straps to raise your body and take weight off your arms.
You can also do this exercise on your toes and in the push-up position, which is VERY challenging!
7. Supine Svend press
The supine Svend press is a straightforward yet effective exercise that combines chest presses with flys. This creates a unique contraction in your pecs without using a cable machine or dumbbells. In fact, all you need to do this exercise is a single weight plate, so it’s ideal for home workouts.
Steps:
Hold a weight plate between the palms of your hands and lie on an exercise bench. Push your palms together as hard as you can.
Press the weight up to arm’s length, maintaining the inward pressure with your hands.
Lower the weight back to your chest and repeat.
Muscles targeted: Pectoralis major, anterior deltoids, triceps.
Benefits:
An effective exercise even when done with light weights.
Far more effective than standing Svend presses.
Very joint-friendly as you don’t need to use heavy loads.
Tips:
You can also do this exercise with two dumbbells instead of a weight plate, i.e., close-grip dumbbell bench presses.
No bench? No problem! Do this exercise on the floor or using a stability ball.
The harder you press your hands together, the more effective this exercise becomes.
Standing Cable Fly Guide FAQs
Do you have a question about standing cable flys? No sweat because we’ve got the answers!
1. How many sets and reps of standing cable flys should I do?
Most people should be able to fully fatigue their pecs in 2-4 sets of standing cable flys. If you feel like you need to do more than this, you are a) resting too long between sets or b) not getting close enough to failure.
Remember too that standing cable flys are not the best stand-alone chest exercise, and are best done as part of a more comprehensive chest workout, i.e.,:
Bench press 3 x 6-8
Incline dumbbell press 3 x 10-12
Chest press machine 3 x 10-12
Standing cable fly 3 x 15-20
Regarding reps, standing cable flys work best with light to moderate weights and medium to high reps. As such, you’ll probably get the best results from doing 12-20 reps per set, although you can go as high as 30 reps and still build muscle.
2. I feel some of these exercises in my shoulders more than my chest. Is this normal?
The pecs and anterior deltoids always work together as they have shared functions. That said, exercises like standing cable flys and dumbbell flys are predominately chest exercises, and the anterior deltoids should be working as synergists or helpers.
If you feel your shoulders more than your chest, you may need to work on your mind-muscle connection. Try using less weight and flexing your pecs more purposely.
Be more mindful of your pecs, imagining them contracting and growing with every rep you perform. Flexing your pecs before a set of standing cable flys will also help fire up your chest and reinforce the mind-muscle connection.
3. Aren’t compound exercises enough to build a bigger chest?
Compound exercises are great for building basic mass and strength. However, while some only need bench presses, push-ups, and dips to build picture-perfect pecs, others require additional exercises to maximize pec size and shape.
So, by all means, try the compound-only route to building your best-ever chest, but if you are unhappy with your progress, add some isolation training to see if it helps.
4. I train at home and don’t have access to a cable machine; what exercises can I do instead of standing cable flys?
There are several ways you can isolate your pecs at home without a cable machine. For starters, you can use resistance bands to replicate most cable exercises, including flys and crossovers. You can also do TRX, dumbbell, and towel flys.
While having access to a cable machine makes chest isolation training very convenient, it’s not the only way to emphasize and shape your pecs.
5. Standing cable flys hurt my shoulders – what gives?
Standing cable flys are usually pretty shoulder-friendly, but if they hurt your joints, you may be using too much weight, extending your arms too far behind you, or have a pre-existing shoulder injury.
As with all exercises, if you feel unusual pain when you’re doing this movement, you should check your form, reduce the weight, and skip it entirely if the discomfort persists.
Wrapping Up
Most lifters LOVE bench presses and start each training week with what is arguably the most popular bodybuilding exercise in the world. However, as great as bench presses are, they’re not the only or even the best way to build awesome pecs.
Isolation exercises like flys and crossovers allow you to focus on your pecs with 100% accuracy, pushing your muscles to their limit in complete safety.
There are plenty of pec isolation exercises to choose from, but the standing cable fly is one of the best.
Add them to your next pec workout and take your chest development to a whole new level!
Half Moon Pose Ardha Chandrasana – Benefits, Common Mistakes, and Variations
The first thing that comes to mind in the half moon pose Ardha Chandrasana is being thrown off balance. And if you’re a beginner, intermediate yogi, or new to this technique, you’re stability and patience will definitely be challenged. But dust yourself off, focus, breathe, and bring yourself back into the pose, teaching yourself patience, and persistence in the process.
Being unilateral in nature, half moon pose shifts your weight onto one side, strengthening the standing leg, plus the hips, pelvis, and core, as it requires more overall muscular demand. But perhaps the greatest difficulty is maintaining the lateral cartwheel position in a plane of movement we rarely tap into.
But the half moon pose is a must-have technique in your posing regime, and we have some amazing technique tips and variations below.
Muscles Involved During Half Moon Yoga Pose
Balance may seem like its own thing, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. We need help from certain muscles to maintain the desired positions. The half moon is almost a full-body movement as it involves coordination and stability from several body parts.
Legs
Akin to a hip hinge movement like stiff legged deadlifts, the hamstrings (muscles on the rear on your thigh) stretch and load up, while the quadriceps (five headed anterior thigh muscles) keep the knee straight, and leg strong, and the calves root down to help posture and balance.
Glutes (medius)
You especially need strong glute medius muscles, which are one of the three muscles in your butt. That’s because these muscles, found in the lateral upper buttock, externally rotate the hip, and play an essential role in stabilizing the lower limbs and pelvis, which are highly activated in the half moon pose.
Core
You can see in half moon that the upper body leans forward at the hips. As a result, the muscles in your core have to take over to maintain the torso in proper position. These include the deeper and more superficial absominals that stabilize the spine, erectors that allow us to bend and stand up, and obliques that work during lateral motions and rotation.
How To Do Half Moon Pose Ardha Chandrasana
The half moon pose may appear easy enough so long as you have the flexibility. But there’s a lot more to it, and you may need to work on your technique before you can get it down pat!
Note: The following video demonstration is the simple, straightforward version of half moon pose. There are longer versions that involve more warming up, pre pose techniques, etc.
Steps
Come into a front forward leaning lunge with the right foot in front, pointing straight forward, and back foot turned outward to the left.
Reach the left arm behind you and grab the back of the left leg/hip.
Reach the right arm to the floor and lean onto your finger tips, with the hand directly under the shoulder.
Rise up onto the front leg, and lift the rear leg up parallel to the floor. The lifted foot should be pointed to the left with the feet flexed by pulling the toes up toward the shin.
Root down into the floor with the standing leg by pressing with the four corners of your feet, and extend the bottom leg.
While looking down at the floor, extend the top arm vertical with the fingers pointing straight up toward the sky.
Now you can adjust your gaze to the side or look up at the top hand to challenge your balance further.
You’ll then perform the same technique but on the opposite leg.
Tips
When you feel advanced enough, try the half moon pose without touching the ground.
The half moon pose is commonly performed as a transition from or into another similar standing balancing hip focused posture, like triangle pose, for example.
An effective trick to get your body into the right position is to perform half moon pose with the back side of your body against a wall. It gives you stability, keeps everything in line and tells you where you need to straighten up.
Use a yoga block to elevate your upper body and free up space through the hips as you learn the half moon pose. You can also use a chair if a yoga block is still too low.
The half moon pose is an open hip posture, therefore, your feet position is very importance. The lead foot should point straight forward toward the head, while the back foot needs to face out to the side.
This Exercise
Target muscle groups: Legs, glutes, hips, core
Type: Yoga
Equipment: Mat
Difficulty: Intermediate
Benefits of Half Moon Pose Ardha Chandrasana
Balance based exercises are so beneficial alone, but you there’s much more to the moon pose that make it worth including in your yoga routine.
Build foundational strength and functional ability
Half moon ardha chandrasana is a strong pose that requires a solid and rooted foundation in your feet, ankles, legs, and hips. You may be wobbly in the beginning, but as you become more coordinated and in tune with your body, you’ll create a more unshakeable base. This will carry over to your athletic activities, weight room lifts, maintaining good walking balance, and preventing falls, which increases as we age.
The unilateral (affecting one side at a time) nature of the half moon pose is a good test of left to right side balance, and you’ll get instant feedback, so that you can work on fixing any imbalances.
Keep your patience
Patience combined with persistence is the secret recipe for progress and long term results. An intermediate posture, half moon isn’t as easy as balancing on one foot. In fact, it looks something like a ballet or gymnastics technique. Not to mention, it’s a lateral facing posture which is harder. Many who attempt the half moon will struggle and it will take time and patience to get right.
Great for those who sit too long
In modern culture, sitting for 4+ hours straight is pretty standard, with desk and remote type jobs being the norm, and electronic devices taking up most of our time. Implementing a light yoga routine that forces us to counteract the constant sitting and lying positions of our legs and hips is a very good idea.
You probably won’t start with the half moon pose as a beginner, but it is something to work up to as an intermediate.
Common Mistakes When Performing Half Moon Pose Ardha Chandrasana
Below are some common mistakes and reasons why you shouldn’t make them.
Pivoting the standing foot inward
It may feel more comfortable to pivot or turn the standing foot inward. This happens for a few reasons, but they should be identified and fixed.
The first is that many feel it gives them a better sense of balance control. But this is a manifestation of either tight hips or lack of balance ability. But by doing this, you’re actually closing the hip joint, but we want to keep the standing leg externally rotated, to keep the hips open.
But that’s also where it’s useful to have a yoga block for balance, so that you can more easily keep the lead foot forward.
Letting the raised leg move behind the hip
Something else that often happens is that the top, lifted leg moves back behind the hips. From the half moon pose, take a peek at the top leg and see of you can see the feet. If not, you know to move them slightly forward in line with your hips. You can also use a wall to train keeping your leg in proper alignment.
Slumping forward
We could see this one being very common, where the person simply leans forward and slumps over, without actively engaging the upper body.
To easily fix this, push your hand into the floor or your block to straighten the arm, roll the shoulder back, and then do the same for the top arm, retracting the shoulder toward the middle back. That’s how you’ll achieve the nice straight line in the arms and shoulders.
Variations of Half Moon Pose Ardha Chandrasana
Whether you’re still trying to figure out the half moon pose, or are ready for a more challenging variation with a twist (pun intended), definitely give these poses a try.
Half moon against a wall
We briefly mentioned this variation in the tips section of this guide. And it really is one of the easiest ways to get immediate feedback on your technique, but it’s also like having training wheels.
The wall provides stability, and reinforces correct half moon posture, allowing you to feel any gaps that need to be filled. It’s especially helpful for keeping the shoulders back and retracted, and keeping the top leg over the hips, as the wall stops it from moving back.
Knee down half moon pose
Here’s one outside of the box… try the half moon on half a leg! Removing a lot of the stability requirements, you’ll be lower to the ground, with the bottom shin behind you for better support. Most people can do this pose, even if you’re a beginner. But it’s a perfect training technique to help you improve your alignment and strengthen your foundation.
Steps
Sit in a tall kneeling position on your knees in the center of the mat.
Dig the right knee firmly into the mat and point it outward toward the top of the mat while not moving the left knee.
Then place your right hand down on your right side, either flat on the palm or on the fingertips.
Shift your weight to the right hand and knee so your body is leaning sideways onto that side.
Now extend the left leg and place the inside of your foot or toes are on the mat.
Activate your core, then raise the left leg up, tensing the glutes and outer thigh. Flex the toes by pulling them up toward the shin.
Your entire body should now be facing sideways, with the hips fully open, and stacked.
Push into the floor with your right knee and foot, and keep the core and lifted leg strong.
The you can simply reach the top arm overhead in line with the bottom arm.
Switch sides and do it again.
Revolved moon pose (parivrtta ardha chandrasana)
While the half moon is an open hip variation, the revolved moon pose is closed hip. In fact, it’s more similar to the warrior III pose, so the feet and legs are facing the same direction, unlike half moon where the lead foot is forward and the top foot points sideways.
Revolved moon can be very difficult though, forcing the person to flatten the palm on the floor, and making it hard to get the legs in position, causing a sagging pelvis.
The best thing to do here is use a yoga block, and make sure it’s placed directly under the shoulder. This will allow you to create more space in the lower body so that it’s easier to lift the back leg, which is the biggest limitation in the revolved moon technique. You want to keep the hips as neutral as possible, otherwise, the lifted leg will be pulled down, and that’s not what you want.
Tips
The glutes play a strong role in keeping the lifted leg up and firm in position.
The twist should occur in the torso, not the hips.
While a variation, it’s best not to program revolved moon and half moon back to back.
Bound revolved half moon pose (baddha parivrtta ardha chandrasana)
If you want to get deeper in a similar pose, this is one good way to do it. It combines elements of warrior III pose which keeps the hips closed, then you bind one leg, and twist into the opposite side.
Steps
Stand at the top of the mat with your feet close together, hands on the hips, shoulders down, and chest upright.
Soften your right knee, and bend it slightly.
Hinge forward at the hips and lean your upper body forward. Lift the left leg up behind you with the toes pointed down to the floor.
Reach down with your left arm extended and place your hand on the floor under the left shoulder.
Then reach back with your right hand, bend your left leg and grab the left foot. Keep your hips neutral and facing down toward the floor. Do not allow your body to rotate at any point during the pose.
Lift the left knee up and drop the head lower.
Now slowly twist your upper body as far as you can to the right. From here, go as deep as you can feel you can safely.
To come out of the pose, let the left foot come down to the floor, and transition to sitting on the mat.
Make sure to do the same thing but with the legs in opposite positions.
Chapasana or sugar cane pose
It’s hard to imagine what this pose looks like but if you do it correctly, you’ll resemble a bowed out sugar cane. Chapasana is also a type of backbend although performed from a side facing position, or half moon pose.
Let’s check out how it’s done.
Steps
Come into the half moon pose.
Bend the top leg back, and grab the left foot with your left hand.
Now curl the lower butt in and under, push the tailbone forward, pull your head all the way back back, and open up the chest. Your body should be bent back in what looks like a sugar cane bow.
Release the leg, return the feet to the floor, and bring the hands down to the floor under the shoulders.
Repeat on the opposite side.
Pro tip: If you cannot easily reach back and grab the top foot, pull the top knee into the chest first, then grab the leg, and slide it up to the foot as shown in the video demonstration below.
Wrapping Up
Half moon pose ardha chandrasana is not an easy technique, but don’t get bent out of shape so easily (at least not until you’re ready for the sugar cane pose variation). You’ll need a pair of loose hamstrings, strong quads and glutes, hip mobility, good balance, and most importantly patience, to master this technique.
But what’s nice about half moon is there are many training wheel variations from using a wall to a yoga block and even a chair, or kneeling technique. Then, when you crave a new challenge, try a revolved half moon or bend yourself into a sugar cane!
Lotus Pose Padmasana Guide: Benefits, Common Mistakes, and Variations
Easily the most iconic meditation posture, recognized in film and TV, and part of rich ancient Asian tradition, just about everyone has tried some form or variation of lotus pose, whether making a joke out of it or genuine relaxation practice. But, laughing aside, most people would get a slice of humble pie after an honest attempt at the true lotus pose padmasana!
There are said to be many advantages of lotus pose like increasing flexibility, improving posture, easing menstrual symptoms, and migraines, mental relaxation, and awakening kundalini energy. But beneath the surface (pun surface) hides a beautiful representation of the lotus flower.
Let’s deep dive into the origins of padmasana, how it works, common mistakes to avoid, variations, and more.
What is The Lotus Pose?
We observe and practice for the benefits, but do we know about the history behind many classic poses, especially one as famous as the lotus pose? Padmasana, in Sanskrit, is derived from two parts, padma (meaning lotus), and sana (seat or throne meaning).
You may know of the lotus flower, or would recognize this sacred aquatic plant and powerful religious symbol from Buddhist and Hindu culture, where it’s commonly used as a pedestal for divine deities. But it makes more sense once you understand the angelic daily life cycle of a lotus. Deep rooted in mud, the lotus submerges in river water nightly, only to resurrect into a beautiful bloom the next morning. Hence its popular symbolic associations with rebirth and spiritual enlightenment.
But resilience is another word that comes to mind, considering the seemingly unfavorable environmental conditions, yet the strong will to revive each day, with each petal appearing as beautiful and strong as the day prior.
It’s no wonder the lotus is a foundational pose, that is believed to have many physical and mental benefits.
Anatomy of The Lotus Pose/Muscles Worked
(Proper) Lotus pose is a combination of sufficient hip flexion, external thigh rotation, and horizontal abduction. In other words, the thigh needs to be elevated high enough, with adequate outward rotation to safely and comfortably place the legs and feet in the lotus position.
Normally, the hips externally rotate about 60 degrees. In the lotus pose, more rotation is required. When mobility is less than what’s needed, people compensate by rotating and placing dangerous pressure on this knee joint.
So there needs to be a strong ability in the hips, with flexible quadriceps. This can be achieved with enough time, and consistency.
How To Do Lotus Pose (Ardha Padmasana)
Now we’ll get to the good stuff… find a yoga mat and go through a few practice steps before crossing over to the more advanced lotus pose variation. We’ll do this part in sections, starting with a basic legs crossed position, moving to a half lotus, and finally the lotus of all lotuses!
Below you’ll find written step-by-step instructions, with a video tutorial afterward. Also, check out the common mistakes section to avoid crucial technique dont’s.
Note: Before attempting lotus pose, ensure that you have sufficient lower body flexibility, healthy knees and ankles, and recent experience practicing similar techniques regularly. Padmasana is an intermediate to advanced posture, and bad technique can be costly for the knee joint.
It’s also important to note that there are slight variations of lotus pose, however, the general technique should remain the same for the safety of the joints.
Steps
Before attempting the full lotus pose, see if you can first perform the basic crossed legs and half lotus variations without pain or discomfort. If you can, then proceed to carefully try the full lotus, but only if you have sufficient hip mobility to comfortably slide your feet onto the hips without forcing or pulling the shins up.
Basic crossed legs posture
Start from seated on your mat with both legs straightened in front of you.
Then, come into a basic crossed legs pose, or sukhasana with your palms on your knees and eyes closed. Keep your spine tall.
Stay here then switch the position of your legs and repeat.
If you are comfortable in this position, you’re ready for the half lotus or Ardha padmasana. Straighten your legs in front of you and continue with step 4.
Half lotus
Grab the right leg, and cradle it in your arms close to your chest. Gently swing the leg from side to side which will help open up the hips before going full lotus.
From here, place your right heel on your left pelvic bone.
Sit in this pose with your hands on your knees and eyes closed for a few moments. Switch legs, bringing the opposite leg to the pelvis first. Do you feel okay to proceed with a more intense technique aka, full lotus? If so, you can proceed to the next steps.
Full lotus padmasana pose technique
Restart by extending your legs in front of you.
Then, bend your right leg, and cradle it in your arms, gently swaying it from side to side.
Place the right foot into the left hip bone.
Now bend your left leg, then use your hands to pull your left foot over your right leg, and tuck it into the right side of your hip.
Let your knees drop to the mat, rest your hands palms up on your knees while touching the thumbs and pointer fingers together, and gently close your eyes. Focus on your breath and maintain a tall spine.
Reset your legs by extending them forward, then repeat the same steps but switch the position of your legs. For example, this time you’ll bend and cradle the left leg first. Then you’ll bring the right foot over the left leg to finish the lotus pose.
Here’s another way to perform lotus pose that involves deeper preparation.
Tips
The full lotus is very challenging if you don’t have very good flexibility. Do not expect to get it in day, one week, one month, or in some cases, one year or more.
Remember the role of the two major joints involved in the lotus pose. The hips are capable of rotation while the knees only flex and extend. The knees are at greater risk of injury in this pose if improper form is used.
Close the knee joint by fully bending your leg so that the calf is flat against the hamstrings. This will help protect the knees by keeping it more stable, while ensuring only the hips rotate.
Gently scoop the heels from underneath and set them in position on the hips.
If your knees cannot naturally drop to the floor, do not force them down. Be patient and allow the tissue in your lower body to loosen up and stretch.
Never use jerky or rough movements when performing the lotus pose. Be very gentle and patient as you’re assisting your feet to the hips.
As gently as you came into the pose, should you while coming out of it too.
Benefits of Lotus Pose Padmasana
Let’s take a look at why an ancient, pre hatha yoga posture would still be relevant today. Of course, it’s also important to remember that lotus is a form of meditation, which has many science proven benefits in itself.
Stretch multiple points
In the lotus posture, many points receive a deep stretch from the muscles in your feet, to the ankles, knees, quadriceps muscles, hips, groin, and the torso, with good posture. Stretching increases flexibility, and hence elasticity in the muscles which helps with healthy joint movement, and prevents injuries (1).
Calm your thoughts
Some stress is healthy but when it becomes chronic, so often does our mental and physical suffering. Meditation, and redirecting our focus is a crucial part of reducing the harmful effects of negative associations, reducing emotional fluctuation, and we all need it in some form. Especially with the pressures of modern lifestyles and culture (2).
Helps reduce and prevent disease risk
To extend on the previous benefit, yoga and exercise has been shown to improve disease or health risk factors. Studies published by National Library of Medicine conclude that there’s no doubt yoga improves stress, anxiety, and depression, while being a suitable complementary medicine (3, 4). But the advantages are two fold, as mental techniques contribute to the physical and mental improvements (5).
Reinforce discipline to live a healthier, more aware lifestyle
It’s easy to become overwhelmed with distractions that should take us less time in our daily lives. Yoga practice can make us more mindful and help us to be more in tune with our thoughts, bodies, and decisions (6). And chances are, if you have the discipline to follow a routine, it will carry over into other things that will help you to become better all around.
Many fun and challenging variations
The exciting thing about the lotus pose is that it doesn’t stop there… in fact, for someone who cannot get into the pose, the progressions can be a rewarding journey in themselves. But then you have more advanced variations like the ones included later on in this guide. As you progress, it’s also normal to build more strength and mental fitness as well.
Common Mistakes During Lotus Pose
When it comes to exercise, some bad habits are easily fixable and not likely to cause harm. But when it comes to flexing your body in more difficult positions, you must be especially careful to do it right Here are some things you must avoid during lotus pose.
Forcing the leg and foot into position
A proper lotus pose is only possible with sufficient hip mobility and ignoring this fact is a crucial mistake. When movement in the thigh is limited during the lotus pose, two ways that people try to fix it is pulling the foot up or pushing the knee down. The problem here is the knees are not made for such a degree of external rotation beyond 40 degrees.
The hips are a ball and socket joint with greater movement capability, while the knee bends and straightens. Don’t mess that up!
Bad form causes shearing forces on the knee which can damage the meniscus (soft cartilage in the knee that act as shock absorbers, and help stabilize the knee joint) and ligaments.
Solution: Practice gradual techniques to free up tension in the hips, and improve movement in the horizontal plane. You should also focus on closing the knee joint, making it less vulnerable to potentially damaging forces.
Variations of Lotus Pose Padmasana
There are plenty of lotus pose variations to keep you busy, including the preparatory and more advanced postures. Here are some of the more popular alternatives to the lotus pose padmasana.
Reclining lotus pose (supta padmasana)
The opposite of your hidden lotus, supta padmasana is performed on your back. And most people will want to try this variation before covering up their pose.
Steps
Sit at the front of your mat in padmasana.
Place your hands on the mat behind your hips, then bend your elbows and gently drop down on your forearms like in a reverse plank. Sit in this position for a few moments to ensure you’re comfortable.
Then slowly walk your hands toward your knees, and lie flat on your back with your arms by your sides and palms on the floor.
Now reach your arms overhead, and rest the top of the forearms and knuckles on the ground, but keep your elbows slightly bent.
Relax here and consciously breathe in and out.
To come out, bring your arms back down by your sides with the palms next to your hips. Tuck your chin into your chest, lift back up onto your forearms, then sit up in padmasana.
Now change your legs position and repeat.
Hidden lotus pose (gupta padmasana)
Try this concealed lotus pose variation that’ll force your hips to stay opened up. Many people also learn that changing the position of the same position suits them better. In this case, a prone position may enhance how the stretch feels in your entire back.
Steps
Begin in padmasana pose at the back end of your yoga mat.
Then place your hands on the mat and use your arms to lift up onto your knees. Walk your hands forward until your palms are directly under your shoulders like in a push-up on your knees position.
Now walk your hands forward and gently lower your chest, stomach, and hips to the floor. Then reach your arms overhead and rest your palms on the floor. Try to consciously press your pelvis down into the mat.
Stay here for a few conscious, relaxed breaths.
To leave the pose, bend your arms and place your palms on the floor next to your chest like the bottom of a push-up.
Push yourself up, then walk your hands back, and gently return to the sitting padmasana.
Now do it again but change the position of your legs.
Tip: You can also place your hands behind your back as shown in the video example.
Fish pose with lotus legs
If done correctly, the fish pose will give you an amazing stretch through the upper body and neck, while offering potential benefits of inversion (hanging your head upside down) like improved blood flow to the brain, and enhanced cognitive functioning. But the basic fish pose doesn’t stretch out the hips and groin like adding a lotus pose.
Steps
Start on your back with your body fully lengthened.
Bring your legs into lotus, then drop them to the floor.
Now lift your chest, arch your back, tilt your head back, and gently rest the top of your head on the floor. You can grab onto your hips as shown in the video example below.
Reverse the process by lying flat, raising your knees up, taking your feet off the hips one at a time, and straightening your legs out in front of you.
Lay there for a moment, then bring the legs back into lotus, switching legs this time, and repeat the previous steps.
Check out our full write up on fish pose matsyasana.
Floating lotus pose (Utplutih)
If you have good upper body strength, then you should absolutely try the floating variation. What it will do over the other variations is activate your chest, shoulders, and triceps, while calling on your core to produce more strength and stability. But there are mental benefits too, as you’ll have to trust yourself, have confidence in your abilities, and develop patience.
Note: Utplutih is a more advanced pose, and it can be very challenging. The video provided below shows a few progressions before attempting the full lotus pose. You can also find some technique tips following the written instructions.
Steps
Start in the sitting lotus position on your mat, with an upright posture.
Squeeze and activate your legs and flex your feet for better control.
Then straighten your arms and place your hands on the mat beside your upper thighs. Spread your fingers out, and feel where you will be most balanced. Emphasize pressing with the thumbs and pointer fingers.
Activate your delts, and the prominent muscles of your lateral torso like the lats and serratus anterior.
Now round your back slightly, then draw your abdomen in and up.
Inhale, then lift your body up off the ground. Press your hands down into the floor, maintain a solid position, look down at the tip of your nose, and take 10 big breaths.
Exhale, and slowly lower your butt to the floor in padmasana.
You can then swap the position of your legs and repeat the pose.
Tips
Mental focus is just as important here. Remain calm, breathe, take your time, and feel connected to the pose.
Remember most of this pose is a result of your core muscle engagement.
If the utplutih is too advanced for you, cross your legs normally (not lotus), and practice the floating pose while keeping your feet in contact with the floor, akin to an assisted version.
The half lotus pose, keeping only one foot on the floor, is another progression before the full floating variation.
FAQs
When is lotus pose best avoided? We do not recommend lotus pose for people with knee and ankle injuries or issues, or who are pregnant.
Can beginners try the lotus pose? It depends on your level of flexibility. Lotus pose is a more advanced posture that requires a great degree of hip mobility. Most beginners should start with a basic crossed leg sitting position, then progress to a half lotus, and finally the full lotus.
Wrapping Up
Through adversity and resilience sprouts a beautiful result, of which the lotus plant exemplifies that authenticity. Both a symbol and physical manifestation of grounding, expansion, death, re-emergence, resilience and beauty, so too is what the lotus pose represents.
While a more advanced position, you’ll also learn patience and persistence, but don’t forget to also enjoy the process as you learn one of the most foundational poses.
Resources
Amin DJ, Goodman M. The effects of selected asanas in Iyengar yoga on flexibility: pilot study. J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2014 Jul;18(3):399-404. doi: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2013.11.008. Epub 2013 Nov 8. PMID: 25042310.
Woodyard C. Exploring the therapeutic effects of yoga and its ability to increase quality of life. Int J Yoga. 2011 Jul;4(2):49-54. doi: 10.4103/0973-6131.85485. PMID: 22022122; PMCID: PMC3193654.
Shohani M, Badfar G, Nasirkandy MP, Kaikhavani S, Rahmati S, Modmeli Y, Soleymani A, Azami M. The Effect of Yoga on Stress, Anxiety, and Depression in Women. Int J Prev Med. 2018 Feb 21;9:21. doi: 10.4103/ijpvm.IJPVM_242_16. PMID: 29541436; PMCID: PMC5843960.
Bridges L, Sharma M. The Efficacy of Yoga as a Form of Treatment for Depression. J Evid Based Complementary Altern Med. 2017 Oct;22(4):1017-1028. doi: 10.1177/2156587217715927. Epub 2017 Jun 30. PMID: 28664775; PMCID: PMC5871291.
Goldsby TL, Goldsby ME, McWalters M, Mills PJ. Effects of Singing Bowl Sound Meditation on Mood, Tension, and Well-being: An Observational Study. J Evid Based Complementary Altern Med. 2017 Jul;22(3):401-406. doi: 10.1177/2156587216668109. Epub 2016 Sep 30. PMID: 27694559; PMCID: PMC5871151.
Yoga – benefits beyond the mat. Harvard Health. (2021, September 8).
Spread Leg Forward Fold Upavistha Konasana — Benefits, Common Mistakes, and Variations
This one’s a throwback to gym class days when you were instructed to sit, spread your legs wide, and reach as far forward as you could for ten to twenty seconds. And you probably got pretty good at it with enough repetition, but once free from that school requirement, most of us said goodbye and good riddance! (no more torture). But wisdom is power, and those body aches and tight muscles aren’t going to relieve themselves…
Spread leg forward fold or Upavistha Konasana, is a fundamental pose that will benefit your entire body, and there’s an easy technique to progress into the full forward fold that we’ll show you in this guide. Plus learn key form tips and progress with some handpicked advanced variations.
Muscles Involved During Spread Leg Forward Fold Upavistha Konasana
“Spread”, “leg”, “fold”… sounds like a whole lot of stretching going on, for various muscles. In fact, you can easily modify Upavistha Konasana to give yourself a major stretch in the posterior chain from the heels all the way through the trunk, and releasing tension in the neck.
Here’s a short anatomical lesson on the muscles stretched and strengthened in this pose.
Thighs
During spread leg forward fold, proper technique will activate the thighs, hips, and groin, giving them a nice stretch along the way. You’ll also get the adductors that draw the thigh inward. Keeping these muscles loose is a good way to maintain mobility in the lower body, and prevent hard injuries and muscle pulls.
Erector spinae
Elongating the torso, and stretching out the lower back is a big part of the seated forward fold. In fact, to exaggerate this benefit, you can grab the toes, giving you more room to move your upper body.
How to do Spread Leg Forward Fold Upavistha Konasana
For such a simple looking exercise, there are a lot of important steps that you can’t miss when setting up and executing this yoga technique. This is to ensure your body is in a comfortable, supportive, and ergonomic position.
Below are written steps as well as a very detailed, and appropriate video demonstration of the spread leg forward fold upavistha konasana.
Steps
Gently sit on your mat, with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor, and arms relaxed over your legs.
Then straighten your legs out in front of you, and spread them out wide.
Use your hands and gently adjust your glutes by pulling them out to ensure you’re able to maintain an upright posture and lengthened torso without limitation.
Flex your feet by pulling the toes back toward your ankle, and press the heels into the ground.
Now place your fingertips behind your butt on the floor, and pull the shoulder blades slightly toward each other, and down. Then lift your chest up.
Hold this position and feel a nice stretch throughout your body.
If you’re ready for a bigger stretch, place your hands in front of you on the floor, then slowly walk your hands forward as much as you comfortably can.
Now allow your upper body to sink down toward the floor to accentuate the stretch. But remember to maintain a lengthened back, not simply hunching over.
From here, if you do not have the flexibility to descend further, you can use a yoga bolster and/or stacked blankets for support.
Gently, lie your head down, looking to either side, and rest your elbows on the floor with your palms facing up.
Let your entire body relax and sink into the cushions, allowing your arms to also become heavy.
Bring awareness to your groin, feeling the wide position of your legs, while allowing your lower body to sink down into the floor.
Slowly breathe in and out.
Stay here for about 5 minutes.
To come out of the pose, turn your hands over onto your palms, then slowly sit up, walking your hands back toward you for support.
Before you finish the pose, and if you’re comfortable, from the sitting position, place the bolster/blankets on one leg, and lie your head down to that one side for 3-5 minutes. Repeat on the other side.
You’ve now performed the spread leg forward fold!
Check out the soothing demonstration of this yoga technique via the video tutorial provided below.
Tips
You can use a bolster, blankets, and yoga blocks for support as you gradually increase flexibility.
Holding straps around your feet is another great training tool that helps reinforce proper form, and train for improved flexibility.
Never push your body to the point of pain or discomfort. Many yoga poses require great flexibility, and joint mobility but the body needs time, progress, and persistence to achieve deep stretches.
Benefits of Spread Leg Forward Fold Upavistha Konasana
A phenomenal activity that we should all fit in our routines, spread leg forward fold has benefits that go well beyond an amazing body stretch. Here are other reasons why this pose can improve your mind and body.
Stretch your groin, hips, and back
From the spread leg forward fold you can emphasize the point of stretch. Reaching straight forward you’ll focus on stretching the torso and lower back. But you could change direction, leaning into either side, and increase the stretch in your hamstrings.
Stretching your lower back is helpful in preventing injuries by enhancing mobility, while the hamstrings are highly injury prone, and stretching is non-negotiable if you’re highly active. Plus, most people sit a lot, which affects the hips and legs.
Reduce and improve body stress, anxiety, and pain
For the same reason as above, stretching gives us relief from muscles that are overused, not used enough, or that have been injured. Nowadays, our butts are glued to our seats for hours on end, which can lock everything up, and that’s when you start to have issues with hips, knees, etc.
Well, stretching can do a lot to counteract that. In fact, one study on Spanish logistics workers found that implementing a stretching routine in the workplace effectively helped with bodily pain, exhaustion, while reducing anxiety, and improving mental and general health (1). It was seen as a potential low cost way to improve well-being in the workplace.
Additionally, as the above video example pointed out, this pose could potentially improve health situations common in women such as regulating menstruation. Although, we cannot make this claim definitely.
Fight smartphone posture
We’re wreaking havocs on our necks with our phones, laptops and tablets, maintaining terrible forward head posture. It’s said the average human heads weigh on average 5 kilograms or 11 pounds. That’s pretty heavy, and not fair to our necks and spine.
Performing daily stretching and yoga techniques is one of the best ways to hold ourselves accountable for bad posture. Because if we’re making the effort to maintain healthy bodies, then good posture should go along with that.
Additionally, there’s research that could support the positive effects of stretching and core exercises on posture and alignment (2).
Common Mistakes When Performing Spread Leg Forward Fold Upavistha Konasana
These common mistakes are counterproductive to achieving a proper spread leg forward fold pose.
Rounding your back
There are few instances where it’s good to round your back, like the cat pose, for example. However, the goal of upavistha konasana is lengthening the spine by reaching forward, and keeping the back straight. If you notice your back rounding, use assistance such as a bolster, block, or blankets, and slowly lower yourself, focusing on good form.
Rolling your feet forward
Throughout this pose, your feet and knees should be pointed up toward the ceiling. Rolling them forward could place too much pressure on your knees.
Forcing it too quickly
The spread leg forward fold appeals to beginners because it seems so simple and straightforward (pun intended). And as mentioned, most of us have done it at some point. However, if you don’t stretch these muscles regularly, you will be surprised at how bad your flexibility is. So don’t try to rush it just because you used to do it in grade school. Your muscles and body still need time to open up and adjust.
Variations of Spread Leg Forward Fold Upavistha Konasana
The sitting wide leg fold over is a nice pre-requisite for twist and standing fold over poses. Here are some alternatives we’d choose that are similar in nature.
Strap assisted spread leg forward fold
There are a few different ways that you can ease into a full forward leg spread. Many people may not have the flexibility to do it as shown in the primary example provided in this guide. So, you can actually wrap some short straps, belts, or similar under the bottoms of your feet while in a wide leg seated position, grab onto the ends, and gradually pull yourself closer.
This is actually a great form training technique, that reinforces keeping the legs grounded, shoulders down, and chest up. Remember, ground down with the legs, and lift up with the chest. Go as far down as you comfortably can, as your hamstring and back flexibility allows. Make sure to keep the legs pressed firmly into the floor, and use a blanket under your butt to modify the range of motion.
Spread leg forward fold holding toes
The advantage of grabbing your toes instead of reaching your arms forward is that you can get more range of motion. If you have the flexibility, you can lower your chest and chin to touch the floor, enhancing the stretch and activating more core.
Steps
With the legs spread wide, reach your arms toward your feet and grab the toes.
Hinge forward at the hips, slowly lower your chest toward the floor, and gently rest the front of your torso and chin to the ground if your flexibility enables you to do so. Your toes and kneecaps should be pointing toward the ceiling.
Hold here to get a good stretch, then you can reset, and repeat a few more times.
Spread leg parivrtta (revolving)
Getting some rotation in the pose is going to help open up the chest, and work the rotational oblique muscles of the core. This technique is also commonly performed standing on both feet, but it’s beneficial both ways.
Steps
From a spread leg seated position, inhale, and raise your arms overhead.
Exhale, bend sideways down to either leg and use the same side hand to grab the lower foot. Use the top hand to grab the top part of the foot.
Rotate your upper body toward the ceiling as far as you can, fixing your gaze up. Focus on breathing in and out.
Inhale, free your hands, and slowly come up to an upright position. Exhale and bring your arms down.
Repeat the prior steps on the other side, performing everything in reverse.
Seated forward bend
A basic pose in hatha yoga, the primary difference between seated forward bend and spread leg forward fold is the former is performed with the feet together in front of you. Also referred to as Paschimottanasana, this pose provides a stretch from neck to heels, and it’s just as mentally relaxing.
Steps
Sit on a yoga mat with your legs straight out in front of you and feet close together. Flex your toes back toward your shins.
Inhale, raise both arms overhead and stretch them toward the sky.
Exhale, bend forward from the hips, and reach as far forward as you can without straining or pain. If you’re flexibility allows, grip one wrist with the opposite hand past the bottom of your feet. Or, grab where you’re able to on your lower legs.
Stretch your spine forward, and rest your face and torso on the top of your legs. Make sure to breath in and out in this position.
From here, extend the arms forward, slowly sit up and inhale. Then, exhale and drop your arms down.
Urdhva upavistha konasana upward facing wide angle pose (Variation B)
Now you’ll get to focus on balance, total body stability, core strength, and flexibility. Keep in mind, there are more detailed examples of this upright seated wide legged pose, but for simplicity, we included the basic form steps with a video explanation and demonstration.
Variation B will teach you contrasting styles in muscle activation and relaxation, improving functional skills, and making you a more capable human!
Steps
Start in a sitting position with your knees propped up and feet flat on the floor.
Then come into a baddha konasana by opening your hips, and pressing the bottoms of your feet together close to your body.
Now hook your pointer, and middle fingers underneath your big toes, and grab the tops with your thumbs.
Inhale, pull the shoulders back and lift your feet up. From here, find balance on your sitting bones. Keep a straight spine.
Slowly straighten your legs up toward the sky, and out wide. If you must, keep the legs bent until you gain more flexibility in the future. In this position, make sure your tailbone is straight and not tucked under.
Hold this position for as long as you comfortably can.
Bend your legs, and bring your feet back together like in the starting position.
Now slowly straighten your legs our in front of you one side at a time. You’ve finished this version of a spread leg pose!
Wide legged forward bend prasarita padottanasana
The sitting fold over has a special place in a yoga stretching routine, but if you want more functional benefits, you should try it standing. We have an entire guide on this pose, that explains the benefits, and shows some cool variations.
Choose a surface where your feet will not slide.
From a standing position, spread your feet apart into a wide stance, creating roughly 4-5 feet of space in between. You want a wide stance but not so wide that you lose stability and balance.
Point your toes forward or slightly inward to activate the inner thighs and glutes, keep your legs straight and engaged, and focus your weight on your outer feet. Place your hands on your hips.
Now hinge forward at the hips, and lower your torso until your upper body is roughly parallel to the floor. Make sure to keep your back straight. Then, slowly stand up straight.
Repeat step 4, but now stretch your arms down to the floor and touch it with your fingertips.
Walk your hands back until your fingers and toes are in line, and press your palms flat on the floor.
Lift your head up and gently stretch toward the sky.
Then drop your head and body down toward the floor, while bending your elbows. Try to relax your upper body.
Gently rest the crown of your head on the floor. Hold this position for a few seconds, trying not to exceed 10 seconds at first.
Now come up onto your fingers, walk your hands forward, and bring your hands on your hips, one at time, then slowly stand up in the starting position.
Related: How to do fish pose Matsyasana
Wrapping Up
Back then you probably thought it was a useless technique, but little did you know such a simple technique could do so much good for your body. Granted, we probably accumulate the most bodily tension as we mature and face adult life, which is more reason for us to get deeper into these types of intense stretches, and yoga exercises.
Spread leg forward fold upavistha konasana is a nice entry level, all-around pose for the posterior chain, anterior body, hips, core, spine, and neck muscles. And it’s very safe to do, so long as you be patient, don’t force what won’t go, and use proper progressions as included in this guide under the variations section.
References
Montero-Marín J, Asún S, Estrada-Marcén N, Romero R, Asún R. Efectividad de un programa de estiramientos sobre los niveles de ansiedad de los trabajadores de una plataforma logística: un estudio controlado aleatorizado [Effectiveness of a stretching program on anxiety levels of workers in a logistic platform: a randomized controlled study]. Aten Primaria. 2013 Aug-Sep;45(7):376-83. Spanish. doi: 10.1016/j.aprim.2013.03.002. Epub 2013 Jun 12. PMID: 23764394; PMCID: PMC6985483.
Kim D, Cho M, Park Y, Yang Y. Effect of an exercise program for posture correction on musculoskeletal pain. J Phys Ther Sci. 2015 Jun;27(6):1791-4. doi: 10.1589/jpts.27.1791. Epub 2015 Jun 30. PMID: 26180322; PMCID: PMC4499985.