Yoga exercise for climbers: this is how you step higher when climbing

As part of our yoga series, we regularly present yoga exercises that are geared towards the needs of climbers. The exercises will be presented by Bächli Bergsport and Petra Zink. In today's issue, Petra shows you the "pigeon" exercise, which you can use to stretch your gluteal muscles and the groin.

A guest contribution by Petra Zink - presented by Bächli Bergsport

In today's issue we focus on an often underestimated part of the body when climbing: the buttocks. With the exercise you stretch your gluteal muscles and the groin of the extended leg. Performing this exercise regularly will help you develop the ability to stand high on kicks.

This is how the "pigeon" exercise works

Exercise info

This pose stretches the deep glutes of the bent leg and the groin of the straight leg. It also loosens the sacrum and lower back.

Important: Caution is advised in the event of acute complaints in the lower back, hips or knee joints. If the back is strong, practice the pigeon only very carefully or not at all.

Starting position: four-legged

Yoga_Starting position_vierfuesser_Petra-Zink
The starting position quadruped.

1st position

Pull your right knee behind your right hand, stretch your left leg far back. If the buttocks are hanging very far in the air on the side of the bent leg, slide a blanket underneath to straighten the pelvis.

2st position

Hold position 2 for 15–20 breaths on each side. At the end, get up on your hands again, push your right leg back and get into the child's position. Then repeat the exercise for the other side of the body.

End position

Yoga_Endposition_Kinderesstellung_Petra-Zink
The child's posture serves as the end position.

Book with yoga exercises for climbers

In the book “Yoga for climbers and mountaineers” introduces the yoga teacher, sports scientist and enthusiastic alpinist Petra Zink 54 selected yoga exercises that are dedicated to the stressed parts of the body of mountain athletes: wrists, shoulders, back, hips.

In our themed series we regularly present yoga exercises for climbers. Today we will show you which exercise can help you climb higher.

Readers from Germany and Austria can order the book here.


All articles in the yoga series

You can find all articles in the yoga series at the following link.


About Petra Zink

Petra Zinc is a yoga teacher and sports scientist. She was a competitive athlete herself and has trained young athletes to Olympic champions. She is currently developing exercise and health concepts for tourism and business with a focus on yoga, health and mindfulness.

She lives out her great passion for the mountains with her husband in her adopted home of Carinthia and on trips through Europe and North America. The combination of yoga and mountain sports has increasingly developed into an attitude to life, she passes on her enthusiasm and knowledge in numerous workshops and yoga retreats (www.petrazinc.com).

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Credits: Cover picture Stefan Koechel

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