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Upper Legs · Body Weight
Crab Pose
Crab Pose is an intermediate compound yoga exercise that works the glutes (upper legs), with the triceps and core 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
- Glutes
- 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
- Glutes · gluteus maximus, gluteus mideus
- Hamstrings · Biceps Femoris, Semitendinosus, Semimembranosus
- Shoulders · Deltoids
Secondary muscles
- Triceps · Triceps Brachii
- Core · Rectus Abdominis, Obliques
How to do Crab Pose
- Begin by sitting on the floor with your legs bent, feet flat on the floor, and hands placed behind you with your fingers pointing towards your body.
- Engage your core and press through your palms and feet to lift your hips off the floor, creating a tabletop position with your body.
- Hold this position, ensuring your hips are lifted high and your torso is parallel to the floor, while keeping your head in line with your spine.
- After holding the position for the desired duration, slowly lower your hips back to the floor and return to the starting position.
Form tips
- Focus on pressing through your palms and feet to lift your hips as high as possible, creating a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
- Use a mat or soft surface to support your hands and feet to prevent discomfort during the exercise.
- Ensure your shoulders remain down and away from your ears to avoid unnecessary strain.
- Breathe deeply and steadily throughout the exercise, inhaling as you lift your hips and exhaling as you hold the position.
Crab Pose alternatives
More glutes exercises
Crab Pose FAQ
What muscles does Crab Pose work?
Crab Pose mainly works the glutes in the upper legs (gluteus maximus, gluteus mideus, Biceps Femoris and Semitendinosus). The triceps and core work as secondary muscles.
What equipment do you need for Crab Pose?
None. Crab Pose is a body weight exercise, so you can do it at home or anywhere with enough space.
How many sets and reps of Crab 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 Crab 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 Crab 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 Crab Pose?
Other exercises for the glutes include Resistance Band Glute Bridge Abduction, Dumbbell Single Leg Glute Bridge, Resistance Band Glute Bridge_Version2 and Resistance Band Glute Bridge.
For developers
Use Crab 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.
# One request returns the exercise and its 720p media links curl "https://api.workoutxapp.com/v2/exercises/ex_KSYTGZ" \ -H "X-WorkoutX-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" { "id": "ex_KSYTGZ", "name": "Crab Pose", "model": "male", "target": "Glutes", "equipment": "Body Weight", "media": { "mp4": "https://…/ex_KSYTGZ/mp4-720.mp4?…", "poster": "https://…/ex_KSYTGZ/poster.jpg?…" } }