Bow Pose

Muscles worked by the Bow Pose

Primary

Lower BackErector SpinaeGlutesGluteus Maximus

Secondary

HamstringsHamstring MusclesChestPectoralis Major

Also called: erector spinae, spinal erectors, lower back muscles, back extensors, glute, glutes.

Equipment

No equipment — this is a bodyweight exercise.

How to do the Bow Pose

1. Lie face down with the arms beside the body and the forehead resting on the mat.
2. Bend the knees and take hold of the outside of both ankles.
3. Press the shins back into the hands so the chest and thighs lift away from the floor.
4. Hold the lifted position for the prescribed time, keeping the neck long and the gaze forward.
5. Release the ankles and lower down under control.

Form tips

• Drive the lift from the legs pressing into the hands, not from pulling with the arms.
• Keep the knees roughly hip-width apart rather than letting them splay.
• If the shoulders feel pinched, lift less and keep the chest open instead.

At a glance

Bow Pose in German & Spanish

Descriptions, instructions and tips ship in all three languages in the JSON.

Related exercises

• Back Extension
• Barbell Deadlift
• Bench Child's Pose
• Bodyweight Good Morning
• Cat Stretch
• Cat-Cow
• Child's Pose
• Deficit Deadlift

Exercise data (JSON)

The record below is exactly what exercises.json ships for this exercise — names, descriptions, instructions and tips in English, German and Spanish.

{
  "id": "bow-pose",
  "name_en": "Bow Pose",
  "name_de": "Bogenhaltung",
  "name_es": "Postura del Arco",
  "description_en": "A prone backbend in which the hands hold the ankles and the legs press away, lifting the chest and thighs off the floor and loading the whole back line.",
  "description_de": "Eine Rückbeuge in Bauchlage: die Hände fassen die Fußgelenke, die Beine drücken dagegen, sodass Brust und Oberschenkel abheben und die gesamte Rückseite arbeitet.",
  "description_es": "Una extensión en decúbito prono: las manos sujetan los tobillos y las piernas empujan contra ellas, elevando pecho y muslos del suelo y activando toda la cadena posterior.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "static",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "intermediate",
  "body_part": "back",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "erector_spinae",
    "gluteus_maximus"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "hamstrings",
    "pectoralis_major"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "endurance",
    "strength"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "calisthenics"
  ],
  "is_unilateral": false,
  "is_bodyweight": true,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Lie face down with the arms beside the body and the forehead resting on the mat.",
    "Bend the knees and take hold of the outside of both ankles.",
    "Press the shins back into the hands so the chest and thighs lift away from the floor.",
    "Hold the lifted position for the prescribed time, keeping the neck long and the gaze forward.",
    "Release the ankles and lower down under control."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Leg dich auf den Bauch, die Arme neben dem Körper, die Stirn auf der Matte.",
    "Beug die Knie und greif von außen beide Fußgelenke.",
    "Druck die Schienbeine gegen die Hände, sodass Brust und Oberschenkel vom Boden abheben.",
    "Halte die angehobene Position für die vorgegebene Zeit, mit langem Nacken und Blick nach vorn.",
    "Lös die Fußgelenke und senk dich kontrolliert ab."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Túmbate boca abajo con los brazos junto al cuerpo y la frente apoyada en la esterilla.",
    "Flexiona las rodillas y agarra la parte externa de ambos tobillos.",
    "Empuja las espinillas contra las manos para que el pecho y los muslos se despeguen del suelo.",
    "Mantén la posición elevada durante el tiempo indicado, con el cuello largo y la mirada al frente.",
    "Suelta los tobillos y baja de forma controlada."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Drive the lift from the legs pressing into the hands, not from pulling with the arms.",
    "Keep the knees roughly hip-width apart rather than letting them splay.",
    "If the shoulders feel pinched, lift less and keep the chest open instead."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Der Auftrieb kommt aus den Beinen gegen die Hände, nicht aus dem Ziehen der Arme.",
    "Halte die Knie etwa hüftbreit, statt sie ausweichen zu lassen.",
    "Fühlt es sich in den Schultern eingeklemmt an, heb weniger hoch und halte stattdessen die Brust offen."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "La elevación viene de las piernas empujando contra las manos, no de tirar con los brazos.",
    "Mantén las rodillas a la anchura de las caderas en lugar de dejarlas abrirse.",
    "Si notas pinzamiento en los hombros, eleva menos y prioriza mantener el pecho abierto."
  ],
  "met": 5.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "main": "images/flat/bow-pose-main.webp"
    }
  }
}

Fetch just this exercise

const { exercises } = await fetch(
  "https://exercise-dataset.com/exercises.json"
).then(r => r.json());
const ex = exercises.find(e => e.id === "bow-pose");

Free for personal and commercial in-app use with attribution (“Exercise data by RepDB”) — see the license and ready-made attribution snippets. Redistributing the data as a dataset or API is not permitted.