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Yoga poses

Warrior II Pose: Train Your Outer Hip to Steady Your Knee

Feet wide, front knee bent over the ankle, chest to the side, arms long. Your outer hip keeps the knee from caving in while the back inner thigh stretches.

Strength · Hips · Glutes · Inner thighs · 2 min read

Why it works: Chapter 23, Stiff people work harder for every stroke

How to do it

  1. 1

    Step wide, then set the feet

    About a leg's length apart. Front foot points straight ahead, back foot turns in a little with its outer edge pressing down.

  2. 2

    Bend the front knee over the ankle

    Bend until your front thigh heads toward parallel with the floor, shin upright, knee over the ankle. If the knee goes past the ankle, widen the stance. If it stays behind, step the feet closer.

  3. 3

    Open to the side, as far as your hips allow

    Turn your hips and chest toward the long edge of the mat while the front knee keeps pointing forward. Most hips stop a little short of fully side-on, so let the back hip sit slightly forward rather than force it.

  4. 4

    Knee over the middle toes

    Left to itself, the front knee drifts inward. Press it gently out so it points over your second and third toes, and feel the outside of that hip working.

  5. 5

    Arms long, shoulders down

    Reach one arm over the front leg and one over the back, palms down, shoulders away from your ears. Keep your torso upright between your feet and look past the front fingertips.

  6. 6

    The test

    You should feel your front glute and outer hip keeping the knee over your toes, and a broad stretch through the inner thigh of the back leg. If the back foot's outer edge has peeled off the floor, shorten the stance until it grounds again.

Watch for

  • The front knee falling inward. The inside of the knee takes the pressure and the outer hip stops working.
  • Leaning out over the front leg. Your weight piles onto the front knee and the back leg goes idle.
  • A stance so wide the back foot peels up. You lose your base, and the inner thigh stretch with it.
  • Forcing the hips fully side-on. The front knee rolls in to make up the turn.

Questions

Why does my knee hurt in Warrior II?

Usually the front knee is falling inward or sitting past the ankle. Point it over your middle toes, check the shin is upright, and let the back hip sit slightly forward instead of forcing the hips side-on. If it still hurts, bend the front knee less.

What muscles does Warrior II work?

The thigh and glute of the front leg hold you in the bend, and the muscles on the outside of that hip keep the knee from falling in. The inner thigh of the back leg stretches, and your shoulders work to keep the arms up.

How long do you hold Warrior II?

Never long: it is the doorway into Reverse Warrior, in the same stance. It is one shape in a loop you move through at your own pace: about two and a half minutes a side in Pre-Run Yoga · 02, a minute and a half in Pre-Swim Yoga · 01, and 80 seconds with Reverse Warrior in Post-Ride Yoga · 01. There is no daily target: you meet it when your training day has one of those routines.