Eagle Pose Exercise Guide
Reviewed by
Valerie Zeller
Printable version
Eagle Pose is a bodyweight exercise that works your abs, calves, deltoids, quadriceps, glutes and side deltoids.
Eagle Pose is a great basic move. When done correctly, it can effectively target your buttocks, core, hips, legs, lower body, lower legs, shoulders, upper body, upper legs and waist.
It requires no equipment to do.
How to do Eagle Pose
Exercise
From a standing position sweep your right arm under your left aiming to hook under the elbows and bring the hands towards each other. Standing on your left leg, lift your right leg up and over crossing at your thighs with the right foot hugging the left calf. Take your hips backwards to sit into a squat. Aim to move your left knee backwards and lift the chest to the sky. Keep your core active throughout and hold for a 5 breaths. Come out by standing up and uncrossing your arms and legs.
A common mistake is to sit your hips towards your heels rather than keeping the knees above the ankles and sitting the hips far backwards. Another mistake is to lean the chest forward. Instead aim to keep the chest lifted and the spine tall.
Illustrated Guide
Learn how to do eagle pose from this step-by-step illustrations:
Muscles Worked
The muscles used for eagle pose may change slightly based on the your trained range of motion and technique, but in the most general case, the muscles used for eagle pose are:
Primary Muscles
- Abs
- Calves
- Deltoids
- Quadriceps
- Glutes
- Side Deltoids
Synergyst Muscles
- Traps
- Hip Flexors
Frequently Asked Questions
Training, Progressions and Regressions
Interested in how to improve your Eagle Pose faster?
Eagle Pose Training and Progressions
Standards and Averages
Wonder how do others perform in Eagle Pose and how should you?
Eagle Pose Standards and Averages
Alternatives
Wonder how to work the same muscles with other exercises?
Variations
Wonder how to make Eagle Pose either easier or more challenging?
Discover more
Classification
| Type(s) | Bodyweight, Calisthenic, Strength, Compound |
| Muscles Worked | Abdominals, Trapezius, Gastrocnemius, Deltoids, Quadriceps, Gluteus, Hip Flexors, Posterior Deltoids |
| Difficulty Level(s) | Basic, Easy, Moderate |
| Equipment | No Equipment, Mat |
| Location | At Gym, At Home, Outdoor |
Muscles Worked
| Target muscle(s) | Abs, Calves, Deltoids, Quadriceps, Glutes, Side Deltoids |
| Synergyst muscle(s) | Traps, Hip Flexors |
