Thread the Needle

Muscles worked by the Thread the Needle

Primary

Rear DeltsPosterior DeltoidTrapsTrapezius

Secondary

Lower BackErector SpinaeObliquesOblique Abdominals

Also called: rear deltoid, posterior delt, rear delt, back delt, posterior deltoid, trap.

Equipment

No equipment — this is a bodyweight exercise.

How to do the Thread the Needle

1. Start on all fours with the hands under the shoulders and the knees under the hips.
2. Slide one arm underneath the body, palm facing up, until the shoulder and the side of the head rest on the mat.
3. Keep the hips stacked over the knees and walk the top hand forward or wrap it behind the back.
4. Hold the twist for the prescribed time, breathing into the upper back.
5. Press the top hand into the floor to come up and repeat on the other side.

Form tips

• Keep the hips high over the knees; dropping them turns the rotation into a side bend.
• Rest the head on a block if the shoulder cannot reach the floor comfortably.
• Let the shoulder settle with the breath instead of pushing the twist deeper by force.

At a glance

Thread the Needle in German & Spanish

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

Related exercises

• Behind the Back Barbell Shrug
• Chest Supported Dumbbell Shrug
• Dumbbell Face Pull
• Inverted Row
• Kettlebell Shrug
• Neck Side Stretch
• Pendlay Row
• Plate-Loaded Shrug

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": "thread-the-needle",
  "name_en": "Thread the Needle",
  "name_de": "Nadelöhr-Drehung",
  "name_es": "Enhebrar la Aguja",
  "description_en": "A kneeling rotation: one arm slides under the body and the shoulder and side of the head rest on the floor, rotating the thoracic spine passively.",
  "description_de": "Eine kniende Rotation: ein Arm gleitet unter dem Körper hindurch, Schulter und Kopfseite ruhen am Boden und die Brustwirbelsäule dreht passiv.",
  "description_es": "Una rotación de rodillas: un brazo se desliza por debajo del cuerpo y el hombro y el lateral de la cabeza descansan en el suelo, rotando la columna torácica de forma pasiva.",
  "category": "stretching",
  "force_type": "static",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "beginner",
  "body_part": "back",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "posterior_deltoid",
    "trapezius"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "erector_spinae",
    "obliques"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "mobility"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "mobility",
    "stretching"
  ],
  "is_unilateral": true,
  "is_bodyweight": true,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Start on all fours with the hands under the shoulders and the knees under the hips.",
    "Slide one arm underneath the body, palm facing up, until the shoulder and the side of the head rest on the mat.",
    "Keep the hips stacked over the knees and walk the top hand forward or wrap it behind the back.",
    "Hold the twist for the prescribed time, breathing into the upper back.",
    "Press the top hand into the floor to come up and repeat on the other side."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Beginn im Vierfüßlerstand, die Hände unter den Schultern, die Knie unter den Hüften.",
    "Schieb einen Arm mit nach oben zeigender Handfläche unter dem Körper hindurch, bis Schulter und Kopfseite auf der Matte liegen.",
    "Halte die Hüften über den Knien und wander mit der oberen Hand nach vorn oder leg sie auf den Rücken.",
    "Halte die Drehung für die vorgegebene Zeit und atme in den oberen Rücken.",
    "Druck die obere Hand in den Boden, um hochzukommen, und wiederhole auf der anderen Seite."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Comienza a cuatro apoyos con las manos bajo los hombros y las rodillas bajo las caderas.",
    "Desliza un brazo por debajo del cuerpo con la palma hacia arriba hasta que el hombro y el lateral de la cabeza apoyen en la esterilla.",
    "Mantén las caderas sobre las rodillas y camina la mano de arriba hacia delante o llévala a la espalda.",
    "Mantén la torsión durante el tiempo indicado, respirando hacia la espalda alta.",
    "Presiona la mano de arriba contra el suelo para subir y repite del otro lado."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Keep the hips high over the knees; dropping them turns the rotation into a side bend.",
    "Rest the head on a block if the shoulder cannot reach the floor comfortably.",
    "Let the shoulder settle with the breath instead of pushing the twist deeper by force."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Halte die Hüften hoch über den Knien - sinken sie ab, wird aus der Rotation eine Seitneigung.",
    "Leg den Kopf auf einen Block, wenn die Schulter den Boden nicht bequem erreicht.",
    "Lass die Schulter mit dem Atem sinken, statt die Drehung mit Kraft zu vertiefen."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Mantén las caderas altas sobre las rodillas; si bajan, la rotación se convierte en una inclinación lateral.",
    "Apoya la cabeza en un bloque si el hombro no llega cómodamente al suelo.",
    "Deja que el hombro se asiente con la respiración en lugar de forzar la torsión."
  ],
  "met": 5.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "main": "images/flat/thread-the-needle-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 === "thread-the-needle");

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.