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Exercise library / Cow Face Pose

Cow Face Pose

Suggestions, not prescriptions. Exercises here pass automated checks. They have not been clinically reviewed, and no exercise is right for everyone. Adjust to your comfort and ability.

A seated pose with the knees stacked and the arms clasped behind the back, stretching the outer hips on one side and the shoulders in opposite directions.

Main focus
Flexibility
Level
Starting
Equipment
Bodyweight
Load
Your body weight
Stability
Supported by a seat, bench or wall
Before you start
  • Warm up first with a minute or two of easy walking or marching in place, and cool down the same way after.
  • Wear flat, closed shoes with a good grip, or go barefoot on a non-slip floor if that feels steady to you.
  • Clear the floor around you. Keep a sturdy chair, counter or wall within reach for any move you do standing.
  • Build up slowly. Add repetitions or minutes over weeks, not days. If you take a break, work back up gradually.

Talk with a doctor or physical therapist before you start if you have not been active for some time, if you have a health condition or a worry about exercise, if you have fallen or fear falling, or if a clinician has told you to limit activity. This library is general information, not medical advice.

What you need

No special equipment. A clear space and shoes or bare feet with a good grip.

How to do it

  1. Sit on the floor and cross one knee directly over the other so the knees stack in the midline.
  2. Walk the feet out towards the hips and settle both sit bones evenly on the floor.
  3. Reach the arm on the top-knee side up and bend it behind the head, then reach the other arm up the back to clasp.
  4. Hold the position for the prescribed time, keeping the chest open and the spine tall.
  5. Release and repeat with the other leg and arm on top.

How much

To start: Hold each stretch for 10 to 30 seconds, 2 to 3 times on each side, breathing normally. Stop short of pain.

As it gets easier: Hold each stretch for 10 to 30 seconds, 2 to 3 times on each side, breathing normally. Stop short of pain.

How it should feel: A mild stretch or a gentle loosening. Never sharp, never painful.

Make it easier

Use the other ways to do this movement below.

Make it harder

Use the other ways to do this movement below.

Tips

  • Sit on a folded blanket if one sit bone lifts off the floor.
  • Hold a strap between the hands when the fingers do not meet; forcing the clasp rounds the back.
  • Keep the top elbow pointing up rather than letting it drift out to the side.

Safety

  • Warm up first, and keep your breathing steady. Breathe out on the effort and in as you ease off. Do not hold your breath.
  • Move with control. Do not lock your joints straight at the end of a movement.
  • Choose a version, load and number of repetitions you can finish with good form. The last few should feel hard but not shaky.
  • Move into any overhead position only as far as your shoulders move comfortably without arching your lower back.
More safety notes
  • Keep your ribs down and your core braced.
  • If you cannot raise your arms overhead without pain, use a lower version.

From the source

  • Hold a strap between the hands when the fingers do not meet; forcing the clasp rounds the back.

When to stop

  • Stop and rest if you feel dizzy or lightheaded, sick to your stomach, or unusually short of breath.
  • Stop if you feel sharp, sudden or joint pain. Muscles working hard is expected. Pain is a signal to stop.
  • Stop and sit down if you feel unsteady and cannot settle yourself right away.
  • Call your local emergency number for chest pain or pressure, fainting, or sudden weakness, numbness or trouble speaking.
  • After any of these, do not repeat the exercise until you have talked with a doctor or physical therapist.
  • You feel pinching or sharp pain at the top of the shoulder.
  • Your arms tingle or go numb.

Other ways to do this movement

Sign in and we will show other ways to do this, with other equipment or at a different level, chosen from your own answers. Sign in

Where this comes from

Steps and tips are from an open exercise dataset named below. Starting amounts, equipment and safety notes are Fitafter50's general guidance. Nothing here is clinically reviewed.

Steps and tips: Exercise data by RepDB (repdb.co). License: RepDB Free Tier License v1.0: personal or commercial use inside applications, visible attribution, no redistribution as a dataset or API. All credits.

    This is general information, not medical advice. It does not diagnose anything or tell you whether an exercise is right for you. Adjust to your comfort and ability.