The Cobra exercise, or bhujangasana, is a back-bending yoga pose. This simple exercise engages various muscle groups and offers a range of benefits. However, like any exercise, performing the cobra incorrectly can lead to ineffective results or even injury. In this article, we’ll dive into the key benefits of cobra exercise, common mistakes to avoid, targeted muscles, and tips for learning how to do cobras.
What Muscles Do Cobras Work?
The cobra exercise primarily targets the muscles along the back and the core. Here are the main muscles involved:
- Erector Spinae: The erector spinae is a group of muscles that run along the length of the spine, playing a crucial role in maintaining posture and stabilizing the spine. These muscles help extend the vertebral column, allowing you to stand upright, bend backward, and assist in side-to-side movements. They also help with rotation and flexion of the trunk, making them essential for daily movements and exercises involving the back. The erector spinae is heavily engaged during the cobra pose helping lift and arch the back.
- Latissimus Dorsi: The latissimus dorsi is a large, flat muscle in the mid to lower back. It plays a key role in the extension, adduction, and internal rotation of the shoulder and upper arm. This muscle is essential for pulling, rowing, and lifting, as well as helping to maintain an upright position. The lats help extend and stabilize the spine during the exercise.
- Rhomboids: The rhomboid muscles, located in the upper back between the spine and the shoulder blades, play a crucial role in stabilizing the scapula (shoulder blades). They help retract the scapula, pulling it toward the spine, and assist with shoulder blade elevation and rotation during arm and shoulder movements. The rhomboids assist in retracting and stabilizing the shoulder blades during cobras.
- Trapezius: The trapezius is a large, triangular muscle that extends from the base of the skull down to the middle of the back and out to the shoulders. It plays a crucial role in elevating, rotating, retracting, stabilizing, and supporting the shoulder blades. Cobras strengthen the lower traps while moving and stabilizing the scapula.
- Rectus Abdominis: The rectus abdominis is a long, flat muscle that runs vertically along the front of the abdomen. It helps breathing, flexes the spine, and stabilizes the core. The rectus abdominis is not a primary muscle worked during cobras but helps stabilize the core as you lift and hold the position.
Benefits of Cobras
Now that you know what muscles are involved in the movement, let’s look into all the benefits of the cobra exercise:
- Back Strengthening: The main benefit of the cobra exercise is back strengthening – essential for back health.
- Fat Loss: Maintaining the pose for longer periods helps regulate metabolic processes and burn calories.
- Upper Body Flexibility: Cobras stretch the back, spine, shoulders, chest, and abdominals muscles, making you more flexible and less stiff.
- Back Pain: Cobras stretch the entire spinal region and loosen up the muscles that surround the vertebral column, providing relief from tension and pain in the back. Being a great treatment for back pain and slipped discs makes this a powerful benefit of the cobra exercise.
- Sciatic Pain: People with sciatica benefit from practicing the cobra pose regularly by lessening pain and helping heal the condition.
- Improved Digestion: Performing cobras regularly invigorates the gastric passages and stomach, helping with indigestion, constipation, and other digestive problems.
- Menstrual Support: Menstrual support is another benefit of the cobra exercise. By opening the chest and lengthening the abdominal area, cobras help stimulate the ovaries and uterus, ease lower back pain, and improve mood, reducing discomfort during menstruation.
- Sexual Health: Cobras help improve core strength, blood circulation in the pelvic region, and stability of pelvic muscles, which can support your reproductive organs and enhance sexual function.
- Organ Health: Another benefit of the cobra exercise is organ health. Cobras enhance blood circulation to organs like the liver, kidneys, pancreas, liver, and intestines, stimulating these organs and boosting lymphatic flow.
- Respiratory Relief and Improved Breathing: Opening up the chest and lungs during cobras expands the respiratory region, and improves blood flow and oxygen circulation, helping deal with lung congestion and asthma attacks. It helps enhance breathing capacity and overall respiratory function.
- Stress Management: Another benefit of the cobra exercise is stress management. Cobras soothe the adrenal glands, which produce cortisol, adrenalin, and steroid hormones. Proper release of these hormones makes you more apt to deal with stress and release tension and anxiety.
- Core Strength: Engaging the core muscles during the exercise helps strengthen the abdominal muscles and lower back.
- Better Posture: Cobras strengthen the back and open up the chest and shoulders helping improve posture and counteract the effects of prolonged sitting.
How To Do Cobras
Now that you know all the benefits of the cobra exercise, let’s look at a step-by-step guide on how to do cobras:
- Begin by lying face down on a mat or comfortable surface with your legs extended.
- Place your hands under your shoulders, with your elbows close to your body. Your fingers should be pointing forward or slightly outward.
- Before lifting, engage your core muscles to support your lower back.
- Inhale and proceed to exhale as you slowly press through your hands to lift your chest off the ground. Keep your elbows slightly bent and aim to straighten your arms as much as comfortable. Your hips and pelvis should remain on the floor.
- As you lift, gently arch your back and lift your gaze upwards. Be sure to keep your shoulders relaxed and away from your ears.
- Hold the position at the top for about 15-30 seconds, breathing deeply. Do not push yourself into discomfort—stretch only as far as it feels comfortable.
- As you inhale, lower your chest to the ground (the starting position), gently bringing your forehead down.
- Repeat this exercise several times, depending on your comfort level.
If you are a beginner and want to start slowly, you can modify the cobra by placing your forearms on the floor. So you are not pressing through your hands to lift your chest off the ground but you press through your forearms. This modification is the beginner version allowing you to utilize a shorter range of motion ⬇️
Mistakes Associated with Cobras
Learning how to do cobras correctly allows you to take advantage of all their benefits while avoiding the most common mistakes. Common mistakes include:
- Overarching the Lower Back: Pushing too hard into the stretch can cause excessive strain on the lower back. To avoid this, engage your abdominal muscles and keep the lower back in a neutral position.
- Incorrect Hand Placement: Placing your hands too far from your body or too close can affect the effectiveness of the stretch and may cause discomfort in your wrists or shoulders. Hands should be placed directly under your shoulders.
- Shoulder Tension: Lifting the shoulders towards the ears rather than keeping them relaxed and away from the ears can create tension in the neck and shoulders. Focus on keeping your shoulders down and back.
- Hyperextending the Elbows: Locking the elbows can put unnecessary strain on the joints. Keep a slight bend in the elbows to maintain proper alignment.
- Not Using the Core: Failing to engage the core muscles can lead to excessive arching in the lower back. Engage your core to support your spine and maintain stability.
- Holding Breath: Not breathing properly can affect your ability to relax and deepen the stretch. Remember to breathe deeply and steadily throughout the exercise.
- Ignoring Pain: If you experience sharp pain, stop. A gentle stretching sensation is normal, but pain is a sign that you may be pushing too hard. Take a cautious approach listening to your pain and allowing it to guide you, or even skip the movement.
How to Do Cobras Video Tutorial
Back Workout
You can complement your back workout with the following exercise:
The benefits of the cobra exercise include back flexibility and strength, organ health, and improved posture, making it a valuable addition to any fitness regimen. However, achieving its benefits requires that you learn how to do cobras properly and be aware of common mistakes that can hinder progress or cause injury. By adhering to the guidelines outlined in this article and focusing on the correct technique, you can maximize the effectiveness of the cobra exercise and enhance your physical health. Whether you’re a fitness novice or a seasoned pro, incorporating this exercise into your routine can allow you to see improvements in both your flexibility and strength.
To a Fitter Healthier You,
The Fitness Wellness Mentor
