Eagle Pose

Muscles worked by the Eagle Pose

Primary

Glute MediusGluteus MediusQuadsQuadriceps Femoris

Secondary

Rear DeltsPosterior DeltoidTrapsTrapezius

Also called: glute med, gluteus medius, side glute, hip abductor glute, quad, quads.

Equipment

No equipment — this is a bodyweight exercise.

How to do the Eagle Pose

1. Stand tall, bend both knees slightly and shift the weight onto one foot.
2. Cross the other thigh over the standing thigh and hook the foot behind the calf if it reaches.
3. Cross the opposite arm underneath, wind the forearms and bring the palms towards each other.
4. Sit down a little into the standing leg and hold for the prescribed time with the elbows lifted.
5. Unwind and repeat on the other side.

Form tips

• Let the crossed foot rest on a block or the floor if hooking it behind the calf is not available.
• Lift the elbows to shoulder height to keep the upper back working rather than collapsing.
• Sink lower on the standing leg only while the knee tracks over the middle of the foot.

At a glance

Eagle Pose in German & Spanish

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

Related exercises

• Banded Clamshell
• Banded Fire Hydrant
• Banded Lateral Walk
• Banded Seated Hip Abduction
• Banded Squat
• Banded Standing Hip Abduction
• Banded Sumo Walk
• Banded Terminal Knee Extension

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": "eagle-pose",
  "name_en": "Eagle Pose",
  "name_de": "Adlerhaltung",
  "name_es": "Postura del Águila",
  "description_en": "A standing balance with one leg wrapped over the other and the arms twined in front of the chest, holding a narrow, compact shape on a single bent leg.",
  "description_de": "Eine Standbalance mit über das Standbein geschlungenem Bein und vor der Brust verschränkten Armen: eine schmale, kompakte Form auf einem gebeugten Bein.",
  "description_es": "Un equilibrio de pie con una pierna enroscada sobre la otra y los brazos entrelazados frente al pecho, sosteniendo una forma estrecha y compacta sobre una pierna flexionada.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "static",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "intermediate",
  "body_part": "upper_legs",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "gluteus_medius",
    "quadriceps"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "posterior_deltoid",
    "trapezius"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "endurance",
    "strength"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "calisthenics"
  ],
  "is_unilateral": true,
  "is_bodyweight": true,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Stand tall, bend both knees slightly and shift the weight onto one foot.",
    "Cross the other thigh over the standing thigh and hook the foot behind the calf if it reaches.",
    "Cross the opposite arm underneath, wind the forearms and bring the palms towards each other.",
    "Sit down a little into the standing leg and hold for the prescribed time with the elbows lifted.",
    "Unwind and repeat on the other side."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Steh aufrecht, beug beide Knie leicht und verlager das Gewicht auf einen Fuß.",
    "Kreuz den anderen Oberschenkel über den Standoberschenkel und hak den Fuß hinter der Wade ein, wenn er hinreicht.",
    "Kreuz den Gegenarm darunter, wickle die Unterarme und bring die Handflächen zueinander.",
    "Setz dich etwas in das Standbein und halte für die vorgegebene Zeit, die Ellbogen angehoben.",
    "Wickle dich aus und wiederhole auf der anderen Seite."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Ponte de pie, flexiona ligeramente ambas rodillas y pasa el peso a un pie.",
    "Cruza el otro muslo sobre el muslo de apoyo y engancha el pie por detrás de la pantorrilla si llega.",
    "Cruza el brazo contrario por debajo, enrosca los antebrazos y acerca las palmas.",
    "Baja un poco sobre la pierna de apoyo y mantén durante el tiempo indicado, con los codos elevados.",
    "Desenrosca y repite del otro lado."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Let the crossed foot rest on a block or the floor if hooking it behind the calf is not available.",
    "Lift the elbows to shoulder height to keep the upper back working rather than collapsing.",
    "Sink lower on the standing leg only while the knee tracks over the middle of the foot."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Lass den gekreuzten Fuß auf einem Block oder dem Boden ruhen, wenn das Einhaken nicht geht.",
    "Heb die Ellbogen auf Schulterhöhe, damit der obere Rücken arbeitet statt zusammenzusacken.",
    "Geh nur so tief, wie das Standknie über der Fußmitte bleibt."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Deja el pie cruzado sobre un bloque o el suelo si engancharlo tras la pantorrilla no es posible.",
    "Sube los codos a la altura de los hombros para que la espalda alta trabaje en lugar de hundirse.",
    "Baja más solo mientras la rodilla de apoyo siga sobre el centro del pie."
  ],
  "met": 5.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "main": "images/flat/eagle-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 === "eagle-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.