Should the back knee be up or down in Lizard Pose?

Both are used. Keeping the knee lifted, as shown here, makes the back-leg quadriceps and the core work to hold the leg long, while resting the knee on a padded floor makes the pose easier to relax into and to hold longer. With the knee down and the shin on the floor, that knee also bends, which adds some stretch to the front of the thigh.

What is the difference between Lizard Pose and Low Lunge?

In Low Lunge the hands rest beside the front foot and the chest stays higher. In Lizard Pose both hands go inside the front foot and the forearms lower toward the floor, which bends the front hip further and opens it out, so the inner thigh and buttock of the front leg get a deeper stretch.

How long should I hold Lizard Pose?

Hold each side 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 per side meets that. Because the lifted back knee takes effort, lower it to the floor if you want to stay longer.

What if my forearms don't reach the floor?

That is common, and getting them down is not the goal. Rest your forearms on a yoga block or stay on your hands, because forcing them to the floor rounds the lower back and tends to pinch the front of the front hip.

Why do I feel a pinch in the front of my front hip?

The deep hip bend can close the front of the joint, especially in people with hip impingement. Step the front foot a little wider, raise your forearms onto a block or your hands, and ease the hips back slightly, and see a clinician if the pinch comes back every time.

Should I do Lizard Pose before or after training?

After training or in a separate mobility session is the usual choice. Long static holds right before sprinting, jumping or heavy lifting can briefly blunt power, so if you use it in a warm-up, keep the holds short and follow them with dynamic movement.

Lizard Pose

What Is the Lizard Pose?

Lizard Pose is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the hips and groin and also stretches the glutes and the hip flexors of the back leg. It is an intermediate-level movement done on the floor with no equipment, held in a deep lunge with both forearms on the floor inside the front foot and the back leg long behind you.

Also known by its Sanskrit name, Utthan Pristhasana, it is one of the deepest lunge stretches used in yoga and mobility work. The front leg sits in a deep hip bend with the knee turned slightly out, which lengthens the inner thigh, especially the adductor magnus, and the gluteus maximus. The back leg sits with the hip extended behind the body, which stretches the iliopsoas and the smaller hip flexors at the front of that hip, such as the sartorius and tensor fasciae latae. That combination makes it a common choice for runners, cyclists and anyone who spends long hours sitting and feels stiff at the front of the hip and in the groin.

This page covers the version shown here, with the back knee lifted and the back leg straight. Holding the knee off the floor makes the back-leg quadriceps and the core work to keep the leg long and the pelvis steady, so it is more demanding than resting the knee on the floor, which lets you relax further into the stretch. Staying on your hands or resting the forearms on a yoga block keeps the chest higher and the front hip less bent, while lowering the forearms all the way to the floor bends the front hip further and deepens the stretch in the inner thigh and buttock. Letting the front knee open out and rolling onto the outer edge of the front foot turns the hip out further and moves more of the stretch into the inner thigh.

Lizard Pose suits most people who train and already move comfortably in a lunge, and it fits best at the end of a session or in a separate mobility session. If you cannot yet lower your forearms without the lower back rounding or the front knee dropping inward, build up with Low Lunge, which keeps the hands beside the front foot and the chest higher, or Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch, which rests the back knee on the floor. World's Greatest Stretch moves through a similar lunge position with movement instead of a long hold, so it suits a warm-up better.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Adductor Magnus: Primary
Gluteus Maximus: Primary
Adductor Longus: High
Sartorius: High
Tensor Fasciae Latae: High
Rectus Femoris: Medium
Semimembranosus: Medium
Gastrocnemius (Medial Head): Low
Vastus Lateralis: Low
Serratus Anterior: Minimal

Instructions

Start in a high plank with your hands under your shoulders and your legs straight behind you.
Step your right foot forward to the outside of your right hand, landing just behind the hand with the toes pointing forward or slightly out.
Bend the right knee until it sits over the ankle, keeping the whole sole of the foot on the floor.
Keep your left leg straight behind you with the toes tucked under and the knee lifted off the floor, pressing back through the left heel.
Lower your forearms to the floor inside your right foot one at a time, palms flat and elbows under your shoulders. If they do not reach, rest them on a yoga block or stay on your hands.
Let your hips sink forward and down while you keep the right knee pointing the same way as your toes rather than dropping in toward your arm.
Press the floor away through your forearms, lengthen your chest forward and keep your neck long with your gaze on the floor just ahead.
Hold for 30 to 60 seconds, breathing slowly, feeling the stretch in your right inner thigh and buttock and the front of your left hip.
Press back up to your hands, step the right foot back to plank, and repeat on the other side.

Common Mistakes

Front knee dropping in
Letting the front knee fall in toward the midline strains the knee and takes the stretch out of the inner thigh, so keep it pointing the same way as the toes.
Stance too short
Stepping the front foot only a short way forward pushes the knee past the ankle and crowds the hips, so step far enough that the knee stacks over the ankle.
Sagging lower back
Letting the hips and belly sink toward the floor arches the lower back instead of stretching the front of the back hip.
Back knee drifting down
Letting the lifted back knee bend and hover loses the length at the front of the back hip, so press back through the heel or lower the knee to the floor on purpose.
Hanging in the shoulders
Sinking between the shoulder blades with the shoulders up by the ears strains the shoulders and rounds the upper back, so press the floor away through the forearms.
Forcing the forearms down
Dropping to the forearms before the hips allow it rounds the lower back and pinches the front hip, so use a block or stay on your hands.

Injuries

Lizard Pose is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The places it tends to go wrong are the front knee, the front of the front hip and the lower back. When the front foot is too close or the knee drops in toward the midline, the knee is loaded at an angle it does not like and can ache on the inside of the joint. A pinching feeling deep in the front of the front hip, rather than a stretch in the inner thigh or buttock, means the hip joint itself is closing down, which is common in people with hip impingement. Letting the hips and belly sag toward the floor arches the lower back and puts the stretch into the spine instead of the front of the back hip.

To protect these areas, step the front foot far enough forward that the knee stacks over the ankle, keep the knee pointing the same way as the toes, and rest the forearms on a yoga block or stay on your hands until the hips allow more depth. Widening the front foot a little toward the edge of the mat often clears a hip pinch. Keep the lower belly lightly drawn in and press the floor away through the forearms so the lower back and shoulders do not sink.

If the full pose is too much, lower the back knee to a padded floor, or use Low Lunge or Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch, which stretch the front of the back hip with less depth at the front hip. To progress, lower the forearms from a block to the floor, lengthen the hold, or let the front knee open out onto the outer edge of the foot only while the knee and hip stay comfortable.

Stop if you feel sharp pain in the front knee, a pinch in the front of the hip, a sharp pull high in the groin, pain in the lower back, or tingling or numbness that travels down the leg. Anyone recovering from a groin strain or from knee or hip surgery, including a joint replacement, should get clearance from their surgeon 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 Lizard Pose

The Lizard Pose is also known as:

Utthan Pristhasana

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Should the back knee be up or down in Lizard Pose?: Both are used. Keeping the knee lifted, as shown here, makes the back-leg quadriceps and the core work to hold the leg long, while resting the knee on a padded floor makes the pose easier to relax into and to hold longer. With the knee down and the shin on the floor, that knee also bends, which adds some stretch to the front of the thigh.
Q: What is the difference between Lizard Pose and Low Lunge?: In Low Lunge the hands rest beside the front foot and the chest stays higher. In Lizard Pose both hands go inside the front foot and the forearms lower toward the floor, which bends the front hip further and opens it out, so the inner thigh and buttock of the front leg get a deeper stretch.
Q: How long should I hold Lizard Pose?: Hold each side 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 per side meets that. Because the lifted back knee takes effort, lower it to the floor if you want to stay longer.
Q: What if my forearms don't reach the floor?: That is common, and getting them down is not the goal. Rest your forearms on a yoga block or stay on your hands, because forcing them to the floor rounds the lower back and tends to pinch the front of the front hip.
Q: Why do I feel a pinch in the front of my front hip?: The deep hip bend can close the front of the joint, especially in people with hip impingement. Step the front foot a little wider, raise your forearms onto a block or your hands, and ease the hips back slightly, and see a clinician if the pinch comes back every time.
Q: Should I do Lizard Pose before or after training?: After training or in a separate mobility session is the usual choice. Long static holds right before sprinting, jumping or heavy lifting can briefly blunt power, so if you use it in a warm-up, keep the holds short and follow them with dynamic movement.