Home/core/Locust Pose

Locust Pose

Difficulty: ⭐⭐ Intermediatecore

Home Setup

Practice on any comfortable floor surface with enough padding to protect your hip bones and ribs

Yoga mat or thick towelFolded blanket for extra cushioning

💡 Pro tip: Place a folded towel under your hips if your hip bones feel uncomfortable against the floor

Gym Setup

Yoga mat in a quiet area with enough space to extend arms and legs

Safety: Avoid this pose if you have recent back injuries, herniated discs, or are pregnant; keep neck neutral to avoid strain

💪 Muscles Worked

Erector SpinaeGluteus MaximusHamstringsTrapeziusRhomboids

⭐ Why This Exercise?

Locust Pose strengthens the entire posterior chain while improving spinal flexibility and posture. This backbend counteracts the effects of prolonged sitting by opening the chest, strengthening back muscles, and stimulating abdominal organs, making it valuable for both physical strength and digestive health.

Make It Easier

Regressions for building up strength

1. Half Locust Pose

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Lifts only one leg at a time while keeping chest down, reducing intensity and allowing focus on proper form

2. Sphinx Pose

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Supported backbend with forearms on ground provides gentle spinal extension without full body lift

3. Cobra Pose with Hands Support

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Uses arm strength to assist the backbend, taking pressure off back muscles while building foundation

Make It Harder

Progressions for advanced athletes

1. Full Locust with Interlaced Hands

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Clasping hands behind back increases shoulder opening and chest lift while challenging balance

2. Superman Holds

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Extended hold times with arms reaching forward increases endurance and posterior chain strength

3. Bow Pose

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Grasping ankles creates deeper backbend and adds dynamic tension through the entire body

↕️ Similar Movements

Cobra Pose
Similar spinal extension but with arm support, often used as preparation or alternative
Upward Facing Dog
More advanced backbend in the same movement family with greater range of motion
Bridge Pose
Complementary backbend from supine position that targets similar posterior chain muscles
Superman Exercise
Fitness variation with same prone extension pattern, often held for time or reps
Cat-Cow Pose
Dynamic spinal mobility work that prepares the spine for static backbends like Locust

Form Checklist

✓Press pubic bone firmly into the mat to protect lower back
✓Reach through the crown of head and toes simultaneously to lengthen spine
✓Keep legs internally rotated with big toes pointing toward each other
✓Draw shoulder blades down the back while lifting chest
✓Engage glutes and hamstrings to lift legs without crunching lower back
✓Keep the back of neck long by gazing slightly forward, not up

Common Mistakes

  • •Crunching the neck by looking up too high instead of maintaining neutral cervical spine
  • •Lifting with momentum rather than muscular engagement, causing strain
  • •Allowing legs to splay outward instead of keeping them parallel and engaged
  • •Holding breath instead of maintaining steady breathing throughout the pose
  • •Overarching lower back by not engaging core and glutes properly

📈 When to Progress

Progress when you can hold Locust Pose for 30 seconds with steady breathing, legs lifted to hip height, chest clearly off the ground, and no lower back discomfort or compression. You should feel strengthening work rather than pain, and be able to maintain the position without shaking excessively.