Pigeon pose
2 holds of 30 s per side, alternating sides.
- Slot
- Mobility
- Focus
- Mobility
- Time
- 3 min
- Intensity
- Low
- Injury risk
- Low
- Intervals
- 4 × 30s on, 5s off
- Equipment
- Floor space
How to do it
Start in a push-up position. Bring one knee forward to just behind the wrist on the same side, with the shin angled across your body, and slide the other leg straight back. Keep your chest lifted and hips level. Hold 30 seconds, then switch sides. Do 2 holds per side. Put a cushion under your hip if it doesn't reach the floor.
Who it’s for
Hips that feel tight in high steps, wide drop knees and anything that asks you to turn a knee out. Thirty seconds a side is short enough to do after every session.
Common mistakes
- Collapsing onto the front hip. Keep the hips level and square. If one side drops, the stretch goes into the knee instead of the hip.
- Knee pain. The front shin should sit at an angle that your knee is comfortable with, not at ninety degrees because a picture said so. Pain in the knee means back off the angle.
- No support under the hip. If the hip doesn’t reach the floor, a cushion under it lets the muscle relax, which is the whole point.
- Forcing the chest down. Stay tall first. Folding forward is a later variation, not the default.
How to progress
Two holds a side after training, three or four times a week, will move further in a month than one long session. When it feels easy, bring the front shin more parallel to the wall in front of you.
When it fits
The training periods this exercise fits into in Blok Sessions.
- Base Lots of easy climbing, good movement and aerobic fitness.
- Endurance Climb longer before you pump out, by moving efficiently.
- Deload Train less, let your fingers recover, keep moving.
Related blocks
Start with a ready-made block
A six-week strength plan with a deload, as a file for the app, and seven short emails on how to run it.