What is the difference between Crescent Low Lunge and Low Lunge?

Both keep the back knee on the floor. Low Lunge keeps the torso forward and the hands down, while Crescent Low Lunge lifts the chest, sweeps the arms overhead and adds a gentle backbend, which stretches more of the front of the body and asks for more balance.

Where should I feel the stretch?

Mainly at the front of the back leg's hip and down the front of that thigh, with a milder stretch through the abdominals and under the arms. If you feel it in your lower back instead, lower your arms, draw your ribs in and reduce the arch until the stretch moves back to the hip.

Is Crescent Low Lunge safe with lower back pain?

It depends on your back. If arching makes your pain worse, as it often does with spondylolisthesis or spinal stenosis, skip the backbend and use Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch, which stretches the same hip flexors with the lower back neutral.

Should I tuck my pelvis in Crescent Low Lunge?

Not hard. Keep the pelvis close to neutral by drawing the lower ribs in and letting the tailbone lengthen down, which stops the arch from collapsing into the lower back while you reach up. A strong tuck with the arms down is what Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch is for.

How long should I hold Crescent Low Lunge?

Hold for 20 to 30 seconds on each side, or about five slow breaths, and repeat two or three times. If you want a longer hip flexor stretch, lower your hands to your front thigh and stay longer without the backbend.

Can I do Crescent Low Lunge before lifting or running?

Yes, a short hold works well in a warm-up. A review of eight studies in healthy adults found that a single hip flexor stretch of 30 to 90 seconds had no measurable effect on strength, sprint or jump performance, while holds of 4.5 to 8 minutes caused a small drop in strength.

Crescent Low Lunge

What Is the Crescent Low Lunge?

Crescent Low Lunge is a compound exercise that primarily targets the hips and groin and also stretches the front of the thigh, the abdominals and the underside of the arms. It is an intermediate-level movement done on the floor with no equipment, kneeling on the back knee in a deep lunge and then sweeping the arms overhead into a gentle backbend.

Known in yoga as Anjaneyasana, it is one of the most common ways to stretch the front of the hip. Sinking the hips forward with the back knee down takes the back leg's hip into extension, which lengthens the hip flexors that spend most of the day shortened in sitting. Reaching the arms up and back carries that stretch on up the front of the body, through the abdominals and the sides of the waist and under the arms, which is why the pose shows up so often in yoga flows and in warm-ups and cooldowns for runners and lifters who want more comfortable hip extension.

The overhead reach and the backbend are what set it apart from its neighbors. Low Lunge keeps the torso leaning forward with the hands on the floor, a quieter hip flexor stretch with almost no balance demand. Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch stays upright with the pelvis tucked and the arms down, which keeps the stretch at the front of the hip and the lower back neutral. Crescent Low Lunge stretches more of the front of the body at once, but lifting the arms makes you balance on a narrow base, and arching back adds extension through the spine, so it asks for more control through the trunk. Couch Stretch raises the back foot instead, which bends the back knee further and puts much more of the stretch into the front of the thigh.

Crescent Low Lunge suits most people who train and whose knees tolerate kneeling. If lifting the arms makes you wobble or the arch goes straight into your lower back, start with Low Lunge and Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch, then add the reach once you can hold the hips forward with the ribs drawn in. If your lower back does not like arching at all, the upright kneeling stretch gives you the hip flexor stretch without the backbend.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Tensor Fasciae Latae: Primary
Adductor Longus: High
Rectus Abdominis: High
Rectus Femoris: High
Sartorius: High
Deltoid: Medium
External Oblique: Medium
Gluteus Maximus: Medium
Latissimus Dorsi: Low
Vastus Medialis: Minimal

Instructions

Kneel on a mat, then step one foot forward so the front knee is bent at about a right angle over the ankle.
Slide the back knee back until you feel a stretch at the front of that hip, and rest the top of the back foot flat on the floor.
Place your fingertips on the floor on either side of your front foot, with your torso leaning forward over the front thigh.
Let your hips sink forward and down until you feel the stretch at the front of the back hip, keeping the front knee pointing the same way as the toes.
Draw your lower ribs in and let your tailbone lengthen down toward the floor.
Lift your chest and sweep your straight arms up overhead, palms facing each other.
Reach your arms up and back into a gentle backbend, lifting through the chest and upper back rather than bending at the waist.
Let your gaze follow your hands only as far as your neck is comfortable.
Hold for 20 to 30 seconds, breathing slowly, then lower your hands to the floor, step back and switch sides.

Common Mistakes

Bending from the lower back
Hinging the backbend at the waist with the ribs flaring forward compresses the lower back and takes the stretch away from the front of the hip.
Lifting the arms too early
Sweeping the arms up before the hips have settled forward and the front foot is planted makes you wobble and usually ends in an arch from the waist.
Twisting the pelvis
Letting the hip of the back leg swing open turns the pelvis toward the back leg and lets the stretch slide off the front of the hip.
Front knee caving in
Letting the front knee drift inward past the big toe twists the knee, so keep it pointing the same way as the toes.
Dropping the head back
Throwing the head back to look behind you strains the neck, so let the gaze follow the hands only as far as the neck stays comfortable.
Kneeling on a hard floor
Resting the back kneecap on a bare floor presses on the front of the knee, so fold a mat or blanket under it.

Injuries

Crescent Low Lunge is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The place it most often goes wrong is the lower back. Sinking the hips down and throwing the arms back tends to hinge the whole backbend at the waist, which squeezes the back of the lumbar spine instead of stretching the front of the hip. That is uncomfortable for anyone and a real problem for people whose back pain gets worse when they arch, including those with spondylolisthesis, spinal stenosis or a stress fracture in the lower back. The other strain points are the back kneecap, which carries part of your weight on the floor, the front knee if it caves in, the front of the front hip, which can pinch at the bottom of a deep lunge, and the neck if the head drops back.

To keep the load where it belongs, settle the hips forward first and only then lift the chest and arms. Draw your lower ribs in and let your tailbone lengthen down so you feel the stretch at the front of the back hip and thigh, then let any arch come from the upper back and chest rather than the waist. Keep the front knee pointing the same way as the toes, and let the head follow the arms only as far as your neck is comfortable, keeping the gaze forward if it is not. A folded mat or blanket under the back knee takes the pressure off the kneecap.

If the full pose is too much, keep your hands on your front thigh or on blocks, lift the arms straight up without arching back, or use Low Lunge or Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch to stretch the hip flexors with the lower back neutral. Child Pose is a comfortable way to take the lower back out of extension afterward. To progress, lengthen your stance, sink the hips a little lower, hold longer or reach further back through the upper back, and Couch Stretch adds more stretch to the front of the thigh.

Stop if you feel sharp or pinching pain in the lower back, pain that travels into a leg, a pinch deep in the front of the front hip, pain in either knee, or dizziness when you lift the arms or tip the head back. Anyone with a diagnosed spinal condition, or recovering from hip, knee or back surgery, should check with their doctor or physical therapist before adding the backbend.

Overview

Primary Focus: Hips & groin
Equipment: Body weight
Modality: Yoga
Difficulty: Intermediate

Alternative Exercises

Other Names for the Crescent Low Lunge

The Crescent Low Lunge is also known as:

Anjaneyasana

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the difference between Crescent Low Lunge and Low Lunge?: Both keep the back knee on the floor. Low Lunge keeps the torso forward and the hands down, while Crescent Low Lunge lifts the chest, sweeps the arms overhead and adds a gentle backbend, which stretches more of the front of the body and asks for more balance.
Q: Where should I feel the stretch?: Mainly at the front of the back leg's hip and down the front of that thigh, with a milder stretch through the abdominals and under the arms. If you feel it in your lower back instead, lower your arms, draw your ribs in and reduce the arch until the stretch moves back to the hip.
Q: Is Crescent Low Lunge safe with lower back pain?: It depends on your back. If arching makes your pain worse, as it often does with spondylolisthesis or spinal stenosis, skip the backbend and use Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch, which stretches the same hip flexors with the lower back neutral.
Q: Should I tuck my pelvis in Crescent Low Lunge?: Not hard. Keep the pelvis close to neutral by drawing the lower ribs in and letting the tailbone lengthen down, which stops the arch from collapsing into the lower back while you reach up. A strong tuck with the arms down is what Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch is for.
Q: How long should I hold Crescent Low Lunge?: Hold for 20 to 30 seconds on each side, or about five slow breaths, and repeat two or three times. If you want a longer hip flexor stretch, lower your hands to your front thigh and stay longer without the backbend.
Q: Can I do Crescent Low Lunge before lifting or running?: Yes, a short hold works well in a warm-up. A review of eight studies in healthy adults found that a single hip flexor stretch of 30 to 90 seconds had no measurable effect on strength, sprint or jump performance, while holds of 4.5 to 8 minutes caused a small drop in strength.