# Bow Pose

A prone back-bending stretch where you hold your ankles and raise your upper body and thighs off the floor into an arc. It stretches the quads, hip flexors, and front of the torso while training spinal extension.

- Intermediate · Mobility
- Equipment: 
- HD video: https://media.seto.fit/exercises/bow-pose/video/male.mp4
- HTML: https://seto.fit/exercises/bow-pose/

## Muscles worked

- Quads: 7/10
- Hip flexors: 7/10
- Abs: 5/10
- Chest: 5/10
- Front delts: 5/10
- Lower back: 5/10
- Glutes: 4/10

## How to do the Bow Pose

1. Lie face down, bend your knees, and hold your ankles.
2. Press your feet into your hands to raise your upper body and thighs.
3. Keep your arms straight and your knees about hip width apart.
4. Hold, then slowly release and lower back to the floor.

### Full technique — 7 steps

1. Lie face down with legs extended and arms resting along your sides.
2. Bend both knees and bring your heels toward your glutes, knees about hip width apart.
3. Reach back and hold the outside of each ankle with the hand on the same side.
4. Press your feet back into your hands to raise your upper body and thighs off the floor.
5. Keep your arms straight and your neck long, with your shoulders away from your ears.
6. Hold the arc with steady breathing, resting on your stomach and hips.
7. Release your ankles and lower your chest and legs back to the floor with control.

## Common mistakes

- Forcing height through the lower back
- Letting knees splay wide apart
- Bending the arms to pull
- Shrugging shoulders toward ears
- Holding the breath during the hold

## Form cues

- Press feet into hands
- Keep arms straight
- Knees hip width apart
- Shoulders away from ears

## How much to do

- **Strength**: 1–2 sets of 15–20 reps · rest 30 s · 5 reps in reserve
- **Muscle growth**: 2–3 sets of 20–30 reps · rest 30 s · 5 reps in reserve
- **Endurance**: 2–3 sets of 20–45 reps · rest 30 s · 5 reps in reserve

Reps in reserve: how many more you could still do when you end the set.

## Quick answers

### What muscles does the Bow Pose work?

Primary: Quads 7/10, Hip flexors 7/10. Also works: Abs 5/10, Chest 5/10, Front delts 5/10, Lower back 5/10.

### When should I do the Bow Pose in a workout?

Warm-up. Done at the start to get the body ready. ≈ 3 min with rest.

### How many sets and reps of the Bow Pose?

Strength: 1–2 sets of 15–20 reps, rest 30 s, 5 reps in reserve. Muscle growth: 2–3 sets of 20–30 reps, rest 30 s, 5 reps in reserve. Endurance: 2–3 sets of 20–45 reps, rest 30 s, 5 reps in reserve.

How we rate exercises: https://seto.fit/guides/methodology/

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