Cow Face Pose

Muscles worked by the Cow Face Pose

Primary

GlutesGluteus MaximusGlute MediusGluteus Medius

Secondary

Rear DeltsPosterior DeltoidTricepsTriceps Brachii

Also called: glute, glutes, gluteus maximus, buttocks, butt, glute med.

Equipment

No equipment — this is a bodyweight exercise.

How to do the Cow Face Pose

1. Sit on the floor and cross one knee directly over the other so the knees stack in the midline.
2. Walk the feet out towards the hips and settle both sit bones evenly on the floor.
3. Reach the arm on the top-knee side up and bend it behind the head, then reach the other arm up the back to clasp.
4. Hold the position for the prescribed time, keeping the chest open and the spine tall.
5. Release and repeat with the other leg and arm on top.

Form tips

• Sit on a folded blanket if one sit bone lifts off the floor.
• Hold a strap between the hands when the fingers do not meet; forcing the clasp rounds the back.
• Keep the top elbow pointing up rather than letting it drift out to the side.

At a glance

Cow Face Pose in German & Spanish

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

Related exercises

• Double Kettlebell Clean
• Three-Legged Downward Dog

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": "cow-face-pose",
  "name_en": "Cow Face Pose",
  "name_de": "Kuhgesicht-Haltung",
  "name_es": "Postura de la Cara de Vaca",
  "description_en": "A seated pose with the knees stacked and the arms clasped behind the back, stretching the outer hips on one side and the shoulders in opposite directions.",
  "description_de": "Ein Sitz mit übereinandergelegten Knien und hinter dem Rücken verhakten Armen: dehnt die äußere Hüfte einer Seite und die Schultern in entgegengesetzte Richtungen.",
  "description_es": "Una postura sentada con las rodillas apiladas y los brazos enlazados a la espalda, que estira la cadera externa de un lado y los hombros en direcciones opuestas.",
  "category": "stretching",
  "force_type": "static",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "beginner",
  "body_part": "shoulders",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "gluteus_maximus",
    "gluteus_medius"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "posterior_deltoid",
    "triceps_brachii"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "mobility"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "mobility",
    "stretching"
  ],
  "is_unilateral": true,
  "is_bodyweight": true,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Sit on the floor and cross one knee directly over the other so the knees stack in the midline.",
    "Walk the feet out towards the hips and settle both sit bones evenly on the floor.",
    "Reach the arm on the top-knee side up and bend it behind the head, then reach the other arm up the back to clasp.",
    "Hold the position for the prescribed time, keeping the chest open and the spine tall.",
    "Release and repeat with the other leg and arm on top."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Setz dich auf den Boden und leg ein Knie genau über das andere, sodass die Knie in der Mittellinie stapeln.",
    "Wander mit den Füßen Richtung Hüfte und setz beide Sitzbeinhöcker gleichmäßig auf.",
    "Heb den Arm der oberen Knieseite nach oben und beuge ihn hinter den Kopf, dann führ den anderen Arm am Rücken nach oben zum Griff.",
    "Halte die Position für die vorgegebene Zeit, mit offener Brust und langer Wirbelsäule.",
    "Lös den Griff und wiederhole mit dem anderen Bein und Arm oben."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Siéntate en el suelo y cruza una rodilla justo encima de la otra para que queden apiladas en la línea media.",
    "Camina los pies hacia las caderas y apoya ambos isquiones por igual.",
    "Sube el brazo del lado de la rodilla superior y flexiónalo por detrás de la cabeza; sube el otro brazo por la espalda hasta engancharlos.",
    "Mantén la posición durante el tiempo indicado, con el pecho abierto y la columna larga.",
    "Suelta y repite con la otra pierna y el otro brazo arriba."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Sit on a folded blanket if one sit bone lifts off the floor.",
    "Hold a strap between the hands when the fingers do not meet; forcing the clasp rounds the back.",
    "Keep the top elbow pointing up rather than letting it drift out to the side."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Setz dich auf eine gefaltete Decke, wenn ein Sitzbeinhöcker abhebt.",
    "Nimm einen Gurt zwischen die Hände, wenn die Finger sich nicht finden - erzwungenes Greifen rundet den Rücken.",
    "Lass den oberen Ellbogen nach oben zeigen, statt seitlich abzudriften."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Siéntate sobre una manta doblada si un isquion se despega del suelo.",
    "Usa una cinta entre las manos cuando los dedos no se toquen; forzar el enganche redondea la espalda.",
    "Mantén el codo de arriba apuntando al techo en lugar de dejarlo abrirse hacia el lado."
  ],
  "met": 5.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "main": "images/flat/cow-face-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 === "cow-face-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.