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Upper Legs · Body Weight
Pyramid Prayer
Pyramid Prayer is an intermediate compound yoga exercise that works the hamstrings (upper legs), with the shoulders and chest 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
- Hamstrings
- 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
- Hamstrings
Secondary muscles
- Shoulders
- Chest
How to do Pyramid Prayer
- Stand in a split stance with the back foot turned out slightly.
- Join your palms behind your back in a reverse prayer, or hold your elbows.
- Hinge forward over the front leg with a long spine.
- Hold, then switch sides.
Form tips
- Hold your elbows if reverse prayer is too intense.
- Keep your chest open.
Pyramid Prayer alternatives
More hamstrings exercises
Pyramid Prayer FAQ
What muscles does Pyramid Prayer work?
Pyramid Prayer mainly works the hamstrings in the upper legs. The shoulders and chest work as secondary muscles.
What equipment do you need for Pyramid Prayer?
None. Pyramid Prayer is a body weight exercise, so you can do it at home or anywhere with enough space.
How many sets and reps of Pyramid Prayer 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 Pyramid Prayer good for beginners?
It's rated intermediate. Beginners can work up to it once they control simpler upper legs exercises.
How many calories does Pyramid Prayer 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 Pyramid Prayer?
Other exercises for the hamstrings include Plate Staggered Pinch Grip Deadlift, Dumbbell Close Legs Deadlift, Barbell Sumo Romanian Deadlift and Barbell Romanian Deadlift.
For developers
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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_LSBESR" \ -H "X-WorkoutX-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" { "id": "ex_LSBESR", "name": "Pyramid Prayer", "model": "male", "counterpartId": "ex_J4L6GY", "target": "Hamstrings", "equipment": "Body Weight", "media": { "mp4": "https://…/ex_LSBESR/mp4-720.mp4?…", "poster": "https://…/ex_LSBESR/poster.jpg?…" } }