How long should I hold Frog Pose?

Hold it for 30 to 60 seconds and repeat once or twice. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends about 60 seconds of total stretching per exercise on at least two days a week, so two 30-second holds meet that. Yin yoga classes hold Frog Pose for several minutes, which is fine as long as the groin and knees stay comfortable.

Will Frog Pose prevent groin strains?

Not on its own. A prospective study of 47 professional ice hockey players found preseason adductor flexibility was no different between players who went on to strain an adductor and those who did not, while hip adduction strength was 18% lower in the players who got hurt. Use Frog Pose for range of motion and pair it with adductor strengthening such as the Copenhagen Plank if groin strains are the concern.

What if my hips won't sink toward the floor?

That is normal, and getting the hips or chest to the floor is not the goal. How wide the knees can go depends partly on the shape of your hip joints, so stay on straight arms, bring the knees a little closer together, or rest your chest on a bolster or block and let the support take your weight rather than forcing the knees apart.

Is this the same as the frog pose done lying on the belly?

No. That pose, Bhekasana, is done lying face down while you bend the knees and press the feet toward the floor beside the hips, and it stretches the front of the thighs. Frog Pose on this page is done on the hands and knees with the knees spread wide, and it stretches the inner thighs.

What is the difference between Frog Pose and Rocking Frog Stretch?

Frog Pose is a static hold, while Rocking Frog Stretch rocks the hips back and forth in the same wide-knee position. The rocking version suits a warm-up before training, and the held version suits the end of a session or a mobility session.

Should my feet be pointed or flexed?

Either works. Resting the tops of the feet on the floor, as in the image, is easier on the ankles, while flexing the feet so the inner edges press into the floor is common in yoga classes. What matters is that each ankle stays directly behind its knee.

Frog Pose

What Is the Frog Pose?

Frog Pose is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the hips and groin, stretching the adductor muscles along the inner thighs. It is an intermediate-level movement done on the floor with no equipment, holding the knees spread wide to the sides while the hands, and then the forearms, support the upper body.

It is one of the deepest inner-thigh stretches in yoga and general mobility work, where it is also known by its Sanskrit name, Mandukasana. It is a different pose from the frog pose done lying on the belly (Bhekasana), which stretches the front of the thighs. Because the body weight sinks straight down between the knees, it gives the adductors a strong, steady stretch that is hard to get from seated positions. It is a familiar stretch among hockey players, martial artists and dancers, and it suits anyone who feels the inner thighs limit a wide-stance squat, a sumo stance or a deep side lunge.

With the hips bent to about 90 degrees and the knees bent, the stretch falls on the adductors that cross only the hip, such as the adductor longus and the large adductor magnus. The gracilis, the long inner-thigh muscle that crosses the knee, is slackened by the bent knees, so straight-leg straddle stretches such as Seated Wide-Leg Forward Fold reach it better. This page covers the two phases in the image: on straight arms, which keeps the stretch moderate, and lowered onto the forearms, which lets more body weight sink toward the floor. Easing the hips back toward the heels bends the hips further and moves the stretch toward the back of the inner thigh, while letting them drift forward of the knees eases it. Widening the knees deepens the pose, and Rocking Frog Stretch is the moving version that rocks in and out of the position instead of holding it.

Frog Pose fits best at the end of a session or in a separate mobility session. If spreading the knees this wide on the floor is too much, build up with Butterfly Stretch, which stretches the same muscles sitting upright with the feet together, or Lying Adductor Stretch, where the legs open wide while you lie on your back and no body weight presses into the hips.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Adductor Longus: Primary
Adductor Magnus: Primary
Deltoid: Low
Gluteus Maximus: Low
Rectus Abdominis: Low
Semimembranosus: Low
Semitendinosus: Low
Serratus Anterior: Minimal

Instructions

Start on your hands and knees on a mat, with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Fold the mat or add a blanket under your knees if the floor is hard.
Slide your knees out to the sides, one at a time, until you feel a strong but comfortable stretch along your inner thighs.
Keep your knees bent at about 90 degrees, with your shins and the tops of your feet resting on the floor and each ankle directly behind its knee.
Keep your hips roughly level with your knees and draw your belly in lightly so your lower back stays long.
Stay on straight arms for a few slow breaths, letting your hips sink toward the floor.
Lower onto your forearms one at a time, with your elbows under your shoulders and your hands together or flat on the floor.
Hold for 30 to 60 seconds, letting your hips relax a little lower with each breath out.
To come out, press back up onto your hands, slide your knees back in toward each other and rest on your hands and knees or in Child Pose.

Common Mistakes

Forcing the knees wider
Pushing the knees farther apart than the hips allow turns a deep stretch into a strain on the inner thigh, so choose a width where you can still breathe slowly.
Feet out of line
Letting the feet swing in toward each other or kick out wider than the knees twists the knee joint instead of stretching the hip, so keep each ankle directly behind its knee.
Sagging lower back
Letting the belly drop and the lower back arch takes the stretch out of the inner thighs and compresses the lower back.
Lowering too soon
Dropping onto the forearms before the hips have settled on straight arms piles more body weight onto the inner thighs than they are ready for.
Kneeling on a hard floor
Spreading the knees on a bare, hard floor puts direct pressure on the kneecaps and inner knees, so pad them with a folded mat or blanket.
Holding the breath
Bracing and holding the breath keeps the inner thighs guarded, while slow breathing lets the hips settle lower over the hold.

Injuries

Frog Pose is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The main strain point is the inner thigh itself: body weight pulls the knees apart, so forcing them wider or dropping the hips quickly can overstretch the adductors and strain the groin. The knees are the second point, taking pressure from a hard floor and a twisting load when the feet swing out of line with them. A pinching feeling deep in the front of the hip, rather than a stretch along the inner thighs, means the hip joint itself is closing down, which is common in people with hip impingement.

To protect these areas, set the knees only as wide as lets you breathe slowly, and keep each ankle directly behind its knee. Pad the knees with a folded mat or blanket, stay on straight arms until the stretch settles, and lower onto the forearms gradually. Keep the belly lightly drawn in so the lower back stays long instead of sagging. If the front of the hip pinches, bring the knees a little closer together or let the hips move forward of the knees.

If the full pose is too much, use Butterfly Stretch or Lying Adductor Stretch, which stretch the same muscles with no body weight pressing into them. To progress, lower onto the forearms, let the hips ease back toward the heels, widen the knees a little at a time, or lengthen the hold.

Stop if you feel sharp pain in the groin or inner knee, a pinch in the front of the hip, pain in the lower back, or pain that lingers after you come out of the pose. Anyone with a recent groin strain, or recovering from hip or knee surgery, should get clearance from their doctor or physical therapist before using this position.

Overview

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

Alternative Exercises

Other Names for the Frog Pose

The Frog Pose is also known as:

Mandukasana

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How long should I hold Frog Pose?: Hold it for 30 to 60 seconds and repeat once or twice. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends about 60 seconds of total stretching per exercise on at least two days a week, so two 30-second holds meet that. Yin yoga classes hold Frog Pose for several minutes, which is fine as long as the groin and knees stay comfortable.
Q: Will Frog Pose prevent groin strains?: Not on its own. A prospective study of 47 professional ice hockey players found preseason adductor flexibility was no different between players who went on to strain an adductor and those who did not, while hip adduction strength was 18% lower in the players who got hurt. Use Frog Pose for range of motion and pair it with adductor strengthening such as the Copenhagen Plank if groin strains are the concern.
Q: What if my hips won't sink toward the floor?: That is normal, and getting the hips or chest to the floor is not the goal. How wide the knees can go depends partly on the shape of your hip joints, so stay on straight arms, bring the knees a little closer together, or rest your chest on a bolster or block and let the support take your weight rather than forcing the knees apart.
Q: Is this the same as the frog pose done lying on the belly?: No. That pose, Bhekasana, is done lying face down while you bend the knees and press the feet toward the floor beside the hips, and it stretches the front of the thighs. Frog Pose on this page is done on the hands and knees with the knees spread wide, and it stretches the inner thighs.
Q: What is the difference between Frog Pose and Rocking Frog Stretch?: Frog Pose is a static hold, while Rocking Frog Stretch rocks the hips back and forth in the same wide-knee position. The rocking version suits a warm-up before training, and the held version suits the end of a session or a mobility session.
Q: Should my feet be pointed or flexed?: Either works. Resting the tops of the feet on the floor, as in the image, is easier on the ankles, while flexing the feet so the inner edges press into the floor is common in yoga classes. What matters is that each ankle stays directly behind its knee.