1 Stand with your feet 1–1.25m (3–4ft) apart. Turn your toes out to at least 45 degrees, but up to 90 degrees as able. Place your hands on the hips to help maintain neutral alignment.
Also called Goddess, this is a fantastic pose to build groin mobility and hip strength. This squat isolates the glutes to reduce the risk of knee injury, correct muscle imbalances in runners, and improve hip mobility in all athletes for better performance. Horse also addresses the root of back pain caused by excessive sitting.
TARGET AREA
• hips • core • groin • glutes
BENEFITS
• Strengthens lower body • Improves hip mobility to prevent soft-tissue injury • Increases range of motion for kicking, squats, and changes of direction
1 Stand with your feet 1–1.25m (3–4ft) apart. Turn your toes out to at least 45 degrees, but up to 90 degrees as able. Place your hands on the hips to help maintain neutral alignment.
2 Lower your hips down into a squat, pressing your knees backwards. Tighten your glutes, reach your tailbone down, and press the pelvis forwards to keep hips under the torso. Keep the knees in line with the middle toes. Raise your arms, bend elbows to about 90 degrees, and face your palms forwards. Hold the posture, inhaling to reach the tailbone down and keep the spine neutral, and exhaling to sink deeper into the squat.
YOU SHOULD FEEL
• Intense stretch in inner thighs and groin
• Stretch in shoulders and chest
• Engagement of glutes and hips
YOU SHOULDN’T FEEL
• Knees collapsing inwards; if so, squeeze glutes to draw them back, or use hands to push out
• Arches of feet collapsing; if so, press firmly into toes and balls of feet
PRO TIP
Gluteal engagement makes this pose effective at increasing groin mobility. Pretend you are squeezing a coin between your glutes, and sink deeper.