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Direction-of-travel diagram for the hip isolation pattern. Photography for the Quadruped Hip Extension is not shot yet.
CalisthenicsIn review

Quadruped Hip Extension

A glute exercise on all fours that lifts one straight leg back until it is in line with the body.

This page is a working draft. A coach has not reviewed it, so read it as a starting point, not as checked instruction.

Pattern
Hip isolation
Modality
Calisthenics
Difficulty
Beginner
Mechanic
Unknown
Force
Unknown
Laterality
Unilateral
Impact
Low
Trains where
Gym, Home
At home
Yes

How to do it

Set up

  1. Kneel on all fours with the hands under the shoulders and the knees under the hips.
  2. Straighten the working leg behind you with the toes on the floor.

Do the rep

  1. Lift the straight leg until it is in line with the body.
  2. Squeeze the glute at the top for a moment.
  3. Lower the leg under control.

What counts as a rep

A rep counts when the straight leg lifts in line with the body without the lower back arching and returns down.

One rep starts on all fours, lifts one straight leg back to hip height, and lowers the knee back under the hip; count each side.

Breathing

Exhale as you lift; inhale as you lower.

Cues

  • Reach the heel back, not up.
  • Keep the hips square to the floor.
  • Pause longer at the top when the reps get easy.

Common mistakes

  • Arching the lower back

    What you seeThe belly drops and the lower back curves as the leg lifts.

    FixBrace the trunk and lift only to hip height.

    A neutral back keeps the work in the glute.

  • Turning the hips

    What you seeThe hip of the working leg rotates up toward the ceiling.

    FixKeep both hips level with the floor.

    Level hips keep the leg moving straight back.

Stop the set if

  • Stop if you feel sharp pain.
  • Stop if you feel pain in the lower back or the knees.
  • End the set when you cannot lift the leg without arching the back.

General educational content, not individual coaching or medical advice.

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