Low Cobra
Low Cobra
Muscle Group(s) Stretched: Back
Range of Motion Stretched: Spinal Extension (backbending)
Type of Stretch: Passive Static
Difficulty: All-Levels
Suggested Prerequisites: none
Low cobra is a great choice for students working on middle and upper back flexibility because it doesn’t allow the lower back to contribute much to the backbend. There are lots of variations of ways you could choose to engage your muscles in low cobra, and I use it as a base for many other drills (like low cobra arm lifts), so feel free to explore other varaitions!
Note: this “low cobra” is different than the traditional yoga version of “low cobra” (where hands are on or off the floor, elbows lifted), this would be more similar to yoga’s sphynx pose.
How To
Step 1
Start lying belly-down on the floor, planting your elbows underneath (or just in front) of your shoulders, forearms pressing into the floor. Keep your entire stomach on the floor, and the very bottom ribs of the rib cage on the floor, don’t let the belly start to lift!
Step 2
Keeping the forearms stuck to the floor, pull your elbows back towards your hips as if you are trying to pull your chest/sternum forwards through your upper arms - this should feel like a squeeze in your lats (outer armpit and/or side body running down to your mid back). Hold for 10-20 seconds.
Related Content
Flexopedia: High Cobra
Flexopedia: Low Cobra Arm Lifts
Blog Post: Back Extensions: The Backbender’s Broccoli
Blog Post: Protecting Your Low Back When Backbending
