Vidéos
Instructions
- Lie face down on a yoga mat with arms extended forward and legs straight.
- Lift your arms, chest, and legs slightly off the floor to activate your posterior chain.
- Sweep your arms in a wide horizontal arc backward until your hands reach the area near your glutes.
- Briefly touch or hover your hands close to the top of your glutes while maintaining control.
- Reverse the movement to return to the starting position with arms extended overhead.
Technical Tips
- Keep your arms elevated off the ground throughout the movement.
- Do not arch the lower back excessively; engage your core and glutes.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together as you bring the arms back.
- Control the movement at all times to avoid using momentum.
Breathing Tips
- Inhale as you sweep the arms outward and backward.
- Exhale as you return your arms to the starting position.
- Maintain a steady and controlled breathing rhythm.
Restrictions médicales
- Shoulder impingement or limited shoulder extension
- Lumbar disc herniation or hyperlordosis
- Neck pain or cervical spine instability
Prone Snow Angels are a mobility and posture-focused bodyweight exercise performed while lying face down. The movement involves sweeping the arms from an overhead position in a wide arc down toward the glutes, mimicking a snow angel motion across the horizontal plane. This version emphasizes shoulder extension, scapular retraction, and full posterior chain activation. By reaching the hands toward the glutes, it increases the range of motion and enhances the engagement of the rear deltoids, traps, rhomboids, and triceps. It is highly effective for correcting postural imbalances, improving shoulder mobility, and strengthening key stabilizers, making it ideal for warm-ups, functional training, or postural rehab. No equipment is needed beyond a yoga mat.
Why do the hands go to the glutes in Prone Snow Angels?
Reaching toward the glutes increases shoulder extension range and activates muscles like the long head of the triceps, rear delts, and scapular stabilizers more effectively.
Is this version good for posture correction?
Yes, this variation enhances postural awareness and strengthens the muscles responsible for scapular retraction and thoracic extension, improving alignment.
Can beginners do Prone Snow Angels with full range?
Yes, but beginners should move slowly and avoid forcing the range—gradual progression improves mobility and muscular control safely.
Should I feel my glutes working during this exercise?
Yes, the glutes help lift and stabilize the lower body off the ground during the movement, supporting proper spinal alignment and control.
Does bringing hands to the glutes work the triceps?
Yes, specifically the long head of the triceps, which assists in shoulder extension when the arms move behind the torso.