Hero Pose

Muscles worked by the Hero Pose

Primary

QuadsQuadriceps Femoris

Secondary

Lower BackErector SpinaeHip FlexorsHip Flexor Muscles

Also called: quad, quads, quadriceps, quadriceps femoris, front thigh.

Equipment

No equipment — this is a bodyweight exercise.

How to do the Hero Pose

1. Kneel with the knees together and the feet slightly wider than the hips, tops of the feet flat.
2. Sit the hips back and down between the heels, using a block or cushion if the floor is out of reach.
3. Stack the ribs over the pelvis and rest the hands on the thighs.
4. Hold the seat for the prescribed time, keeping the weight even on both sit bones.
5. Come out by pressing into the hands and straightening one leg at a time.

Form tips

• Sit on a block whenever the knees complain; the height is a normal part of the pose.
• Roll a towel under the ankles if the front of them feels strained.
• Keep the feet pointing straight back rather than flaring out to the sides.

At a glance

Hero Pose in German & Spanish

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

Related exercises

• Banded Squat
• Banded Terminal Knee Extension
• Barbell Back Squat
• Barbell Lunge
• Barbell Reverse Lunge
• Bench Bulgarian Split Stretch
• Bench Couch Stretch
• Bodyweight Reverse Lunge

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": "hero-pose",
  "name_en": "Hero Pose",
  "name_de": "Heldensitz",
  "name_es": "Postura del Héroe",
  "description_en": "A kneeling seat with the hips settling between the heels, which lengthens the quadriceps and the front of the ankles while the spine stays tall.",
  "description_de": "Ein Kniesitz, bei dem das Gesäß zwischen die Fersen sinkt - das verlängert Quadrizeps und Fußvorderseite, während die Wirbelsäule aufgerichtet bleibt.",
  "description_es": "Un sentado de rodillas en el que las caderas descienden entre los talones, alargando el cuádriceps y la parte frontal de los tobillos mientras la columna se mantiene erguida.",
  "category": "stretching",
  "force_type": "static",
  "mechanic": "isolation",
  "difficulty": "beginner",
  "body_part": "upper_legs",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "quadriceps"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "erector_spinae",
    "hip_flexors"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "mobility"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "mobility",
    "stretching"
  ],
  "is_unilateral": false,
  "is_bodyweight": true,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Kneel with the knees together and the feet slightly wider than the hips, tops of the feet flat.",
    "Sit the hips back and down between the heels, using a block or cushion if the floor is out of reach.",
    "Stack the ribs over the pelvis and rest the hands on the thighs.",
    "Hold the seat for the prescribed time, keeping the weight even on both sit bones.",
    "Come out by pressing into the hands and straightening one leg at a time."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Knie mit geschlossenen Knien und etwas mehr als hüftbreiten Füßen, die Fußrücken flach.",
    "Setz das Gesäß zwischen die Fersen, nimm einen Block oder ein Kissen, wenn der Boden zu weit ist.",
    "Stapel die Rippen über dem Becken und leg die Hände auf die Oberschenkel.",
    "Halte den Sitz für die vorgegebene Zeit, das Gewicht gleichmäßig auf beiden Sitzbeinhöckern.",
    "Komm heraus, indem du dich auf die Hände stützt und ein Bein nach dem anderen streckst."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Arrodíllate con las rodillas juntas y los pies algo más separados que las caderas, con el empeine apoyado.",
    "Baja las caderas entre los talones, usando un bloque o cojín si el suelo queda lejos.",
    "Alinea las costillas sobre la pelvis y apoya las manos en los muslos.",
    "Mantén el sentado durante el tiempo indicado, con el peso repartido entre ambos isquiones.",
    "Sal apoyándote en las manos y estirando una pierna cada vez."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Sit on a block whenever the knees complain; the height is a normal part of the pose.",
    "Roll a towel under the ankles if the front of them feels strained.",
    "Keep the feet pointing straight back rather than flaring out to the sides."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Setz dich auf einen Block, sobald die Knie sich melden - die Erhöhung gehört zur Haltung dazu.",
    "Roll ein Handtuch unter die Sprunggelenke, wenn ihre Vorderseite gespannt ist.",
    "Lass die Füße gerade nach hinten zeigen, statt sie seitlich abzuspreizen."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Siéntate sobre un bloque en cuanto las rodillas protesten; la altura forma parte normal de la postura.",
    "Coloca una toalla enrollada bajo los tobillos si notas tensión en su parte frontal.",
    "Mantén los pies apuntando hacia atrás en lugar de abrirlos hacia los lados."
  ],
  "met": 1.5,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "main": "images/flat/hero-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 === "hero-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.