Sphinx Pose

Muscles worked by the Sphinx Pose

Primary

Lower BackErector Spinae

Secondary

Hip FlexorsHip Flexor MusclesChestPectoralis Major

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

Equipment

No equipment — this is a bodyweight exercise.

How to do the Sphinx Pose

1. Lie face down and place the forearms on the floor with the elbows directly under the shoulders.
2. Press the forearms and the tops of the feet down and lift the chest.
3. Draw the shoulders away from the ears and lengthen the back of the neck.
4. Hold the position for the prescribed time, breathing into the front of the chest.
5. Lower the chest to the floor and rest.

Form tips

• Slide the elbows slightly forward for a gentler bend, back for a deeper one.
• Keep the glutes soft so the lower back does not clench.
• Stop where the position feels like a stretch, not like a pinch.

At a glance

Sphinx Pose in German & Spanish

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

Related exercises

• Bird Dog Hold
• Bird-Dog
• Camel Pose
• Pilates Leg Pull Back
• Reverse Plank
• Reverse Tabletop Hold
• Supported Shoulderstand
• Thoracic Bridge

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": "sphinx-pose",
  "name_en": "Sphinx Pose",
  "name_de": "Sphinx-Haltung",
  "name_es": "Postura de la Esfinge",
  "description_en": "A gentle prone backbend on the forearms: the elbows stay under the shoulders and the chest lifts, so the lower back extends without any strain from the arms.",
  "description_de": "Eine sanfte Rückbeuge in Bauchlage auf den Unterarmen: die Ellbogen bleiben unter den Schultern, die Brust hebt sich, der untere Rücken streckt sich ohne Armkraft.",
  "description_es": "Una extensión suave boca abajo sobre los antebrazos: los codos quedan bajo los hombros y el pecho se eleva, de modo que la zona lumbar se extiende sin esfuerzo de los brazos.",
  "category": "stretching",
  "force_type": "static",
  "mechanic": "isolation",
  "difficulty": "beginner",
  "body_part": "core",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "erector_spinae"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "hip_flexors",
    "pectoralis_major"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "mobility"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "mobility",
    "stretching"
  ],
  "is_unilateral": false,
  "is_bodyweight": true,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Lie face down and place the forearms on the floor with the elbows directly under the shoulders.",
    "Press the forearms and the tops of the feet down and lift the chest.",
    "Draw the shoulders away from the ears and lengthen the back of the neck.",
    "Hold the position for the prescribed time, breathing into the front of the chest.",
    "Lower the chest to the floor and rest."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Leg dich auf den Bauch und setz die Unterarme auf, die Ellbogen direkt unter den Schultern.",
    "Druck Unterarme und Fußrücken in den Boden und heb die Brust.",
    "Zieh die Schultern von den Ohren weg und verlänger den Nacken.",
    "Halte die Position für die vorgegebene Zeit und atme in die Brustvorderseite.",
    "Senk die Brust zum Boden und ruh dich aus."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Túmbate boca abajo y apoya los antebrazos en el suelo con los codos justo bajo los hombros.",
    "Presiona los antebrazos y el empeine contra el suelo y eleva el pecho.",
    "Aleja los hombros de las orejas y alarga la nuca.",
    "Mantén la posición durante el tiempo indicado, respirando hacia la parte frontal del pecho.",
    "Baja el pecho al suelo y descansa."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Slide the elbows slightly forward for a gentler bend, back for a deeper one.",
    "Keep the glutes soft so the lower back does not clench.",
    "Stop where the position feels like a stretch, not like a pinch."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Schieb die Ellbogen etwas nach vorn für eine sanftere, nach hinten für eine tiefere Beuge.",
    "Halte das Gesäß weich, damit der untere Rücken nicht verkrampft.",
    "Bleib dort, wo es sich nach Dehnung anfühlt, nicht nach Einklemmen."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Desliza los codos algo hacia delante para una extensión más suave, o hacia atrás para una más profunda.",
    "Mantén los glúteos blandos para que la zona lumbar no se apriete.",
    "Quédate donde se siente estiramiento, no pinzamiento."
  ],
  "met": 5.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "main": "images/flat/sphinx-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 === "sphinx-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.