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Upper Legs · Body Weight
Butterfly Yoga Pose
Butterfly Yoga Pose is an intermediate compound yoga exercise that works the adductors (upper legs), with the hip flexors assisting. It needs no equipment beyond your own body weight. A typical prescription is 2-3 sets of 30-60-second holds, and it burns about 3.7 calories per minute.
- Target
- Adductors
- Body part
- Upper Legs
- Equipment
- Body Weight
- Category
- Yoga
- Mechanic
- Compound
- Force
- Static
- Sets × reps
- 2-3 × 30-60 sec hold
- Calories / min
- ≈ 3.7 kcal
Primary muscles
- Adductors · Adductor Longus, Adductor Brevis, Adductor Magnus
Secondary muscles
- Hip Flexors · Hip Flexors
How to do Butterfly Yoga Pose
- Sit on the floor with your legs bent and the soles of your feet pressed together, allowing your knees to fall out to the sides.
- Hold your feet with both hands and sit up tall, then lean forward slightly towards the floor, creating a gentle arch in your back.
- Press your knees gently towards the floor to deepen the stretch in your hips.
- Hold the position for the desired duration, breathing deeply and evenly throughout.
Form tips
- Maintain a gentle arch in your back while leaning forward to ensure a proper stretch and avoid straining.
- Inhale deeply and exhale slowly throughout the pose to help relax your muscles and enhance the stretch.
- Apply gentle pressure to your knees without forcing them down to prevent overstraining your hip joints.
Butterfly Yoga Pose alternatives
More adductors exercises
Butterfly Yoga Pose FAQ
What muscles does Butterfly Yoga Pose work?
Butterfly Yoga Pose mainly works the adductors in the upper legs (Adductor Longus, Adductor Brevis and Adductor Magnus). The hip flexors work as secondary muscles.
What equipment do you need for Butterfly Yoga Pose?
None. Butterfly Yoga Pose is a body weight exercise, so you can do it at home or anywhere with enough space.
How many sets and reps of Butterfly Yoga Pose should I do?
Start with 2-3 sets of 30-60-second holds. Pick a load or variation where the last one or two reps are hard but your form stays clean.
Is Butterfly Yoga Pose good for beginners?
It's rated intermediate. Beginners can work up to it once they control simpler upper legs exercises.
How many calories does Butterfly Yoga Pose burn?
About 3.7 calories per minute for a person of around 70 kg, based on a MET value of 3. Ten minutes of work is roughly 37 calories; heavier people burn more.
What is a good alternative to Butterfly Yoga Pose?
Other exercises for the adductors include Seated Machine Hip Adductor (Variation 2), Seated Machine Hip Adductor and Band Hip Adduction.
For developers
Use Butterfly Yoga Pose in your app
Get this exercise and 1,900+ others from the WorkoutX API: 720p MP4 animations at 30 fps without the watermark, male and female models, muscles, instructions and form tips in 7 languages.
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