Cobra Stretch
Lie prone, hands under shoulders, press chest up while pelvis stays heavy.
Muscles
- Primary
- spine
- Supporting
- hip flexors, abdominals
Mechanics
- Pattern
- extension stretch
- Equipment
- bodyweight
- Geometry
- Variable Range
- Target feel
- Abs and hip flexors lengthen without pinching the low back.
- Progression
- Use longer exhales at the top.
- Regression
- Use sphinx pose on forearms.
Watch for
- Shrugging shoulders
- Forcing lumbar extension
Equipment context
Bodyweight exercises need no equipment, but progression depends on leverage and position rather than added load.
Substitutions
Related exercises
Progression ladder
- Beginner / regression: Use sphinx pose on forearms.
- Standard: Cobra Stretch
- Advanced / progression: Use longer exhales at the top.
Atlas metrics
- Movement pattern
- extension stretch
- Primary target
- spine
- Supporting muscles
- hip flexors, abdominals
- Equipment
- bodyweight
- Joint geometry
- Variable Range
- Alternatives
- 3 substitutions
Evidence & limits
Last reviewed against peer-reviewed biomechanics references. Exercise descriptions are framed as training guidance, not medical advice.
Source: ExRx.net Exercise & Muscle Directory
Eccentryx is fitness software. It is not a medical device and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, injury, or medical condition. Consult a licensed physician before beginning any exercise program.
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FAQ
- How do I set up Cobra Stretch?
- Lie prone, hands under shoulders, press chest up while pelvis stays heavy.
- What should I feel during Cobra Stretch?
- Abs and hip flexors lengthen without pinching the low back.
- What are common mistakes with Cobra Stretch?
- Shrugging shoulders; Forcing lumbar extension
- How do I progress Cobra Stretch?
- Use longer exhales at the top.
- What can I do instead of Cobra Stretch?
- Child's Pose, Kneeling hip flexor stretch, Lying spinal twist
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- Movement family
- cobra stretch
- Force type
- recovery
- Graph edges
- 1360 Atlas movement links reviewed
- nearest visible Atlas substitute found in 3 movement graph hops
- movement graph path: Cobra Stretch -> Child's Pose -> Thread the Needle -> Quadruped t-spine rotation
- curated substitution in the Atlas
- same body part: recovery