Cobra Abdominal Stretch
Floor cobra stretch that opens the entire anterior core by extending through the spine.
How to do it
- Lie face down on the floor with your legs extended behind you and your palms flat under your shoulders.
- Press through your hands to lift your chest off the floor, keeping your hips and pelvis down.
- Draw your shoulders down and away from your ears to open the chest and deepen the ab stretch.
- Hold the lifted position for 15–30 seconds, breathing slowly and letting the stretch settle in.
- Lower your torso back down with control — don't let your chest drop to the floor.
- Repeat for 3–4 rounds, rising a little higher each time as your body warms up.
Key technique cue
Pelvis pinned down, shoulders away from the ears; lift only as far as it feels comfortable.
Common mistakes
- ✕ Shrugging the shoulders toward the ears, which jams the neck and limits how far the chest opens.
- ✕ Lifting the hips off the floor too early, which takes the stretch off the abdominal wall.
- ✕ Holding your breath instead of breathing deep into the belly to help you relax further.
- ✕ Forcing full extension on the first rep — your body needs a few warm-up rounds before it can safely go deeper.
Benefits
- ✓ Opens the entire front of the core through deep spinal extension.
- ✓ Relieves hip-flexor tightness from sitting or running.
- ✓ Restores thoracic mobility, which helps overhead and bench press positions.
Progression: from easier to harder
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Step 1 You are here - Cobra Abdominal Stretch
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Step 2
About the exercise
This is the deepest ab stretch of the variations — a prone, cobra-style position that uses gravity and spinal extension to fully open the front of the core. It stretches the rectus abdominis, the obliques and the hip flexors all at once, which makes it especially useful after long hours of sitting or heavy core work.
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