Exercise
COBRA
Form cues
About
The Cobra is a prone spinal extension exercise drawn from yoga that strengthens the thoracic extensors, opens the chest, and reverses the forward-rounded posture caused by prolonged sitting. Unlike the Superman it focuses on controlled extension with hips remaining on the floor — one of the safest ways to build spinal extension mobility without aggressively loading the lumbar spine.
Instructions
Step-by-step technique
Start face down
Lie prone on a mat, legs together, tops of feet flat. Place hands palm-down directly under your shoulders. Elbows should be tucked in against your ribs.
Hands under shoulders, elbows inSet your shoulders
Before lifting, draw your shoulder blades down and together — away from your ears. This activates the mid-back stabilizers and prevents shrugging as you extend.
Shoulders down and back firstSqueeze and lift
Squeeze your glutes, press your pubic bone into the mat, then leading with your sternum (not your chin) press through your hands to lift your chest. Keep elbows slightly bent throughout.
Chest leads, hips stay groundedFind your depth
Only extend as far as your back comfortably allows. For beginners this often means a moderate lift — not full arm extension. Hips stay on the mat regardless of how high you go.
Stop before any lower back discomfortHold and breathe
Hold for 3–5 seconds. Breathe into the front of your ribcage and feel it expand and open. Use each exhale to deepen the extension slightly — never force it.
Breathe into the chestLower slowly
Return to the floor with control, letting your sternum lead the descent just as it led the ascent.
Slow, controlled descentCommon mistakes
What goes wrong — and why
Locking out the elbows
Fully straightening the arms forces all the extension load into the lumbar spine rather than distributing it through the thoracic spine.
Maintain a consistent slight bend at the elbows. Think of the hands as supportive struts, not rigid levers.
Hips leaving the mat
When the hips rise, the movement becomes a push-up rather than a spinal extension, eliminating the posterior chain engagement.
Squeeze the glutes before and during the lift. Their contraction anchors the pelvis to the mat.
Chin jutting forward
Forward head position compresses the cervical spine and signals that the extension is coming from momentum rather than controlled muscular effort.
Keep the gaze forward-low and think of lengthening through the back of the neck rather than lifting the chin.
Rushing through reps
Bouncing in and out of the Cobra turns a mobility drill into a meaningless repetition — the tissues have no time to lengthen.
Pause at the top for at least 3 seconds. Move slowly in and out to develop genuine range of motion.
Variations · Progressions · Regressions
Adaptations for every level
Sphinx Pose
Rest on forearms instead of hands for a gentler spinal extension angle — ideal for those with limited thoracic mobility or wrist issues.
Cobra with Hip Rotation
At the top, slowly rotate the hips left then right to add a rotational component targeting the quadratus lumborum and hip rotators.
Upward-Facing Dog
Lift fully onto straight arms and raise the thighs completely off the mat. Requires significant thoracic mobility and shoulder stability.