Exercise

Thread the Needle

Thread the Needle is a deep hip opener performed supine that targets the glutes and external hip rotators. Keep your bottom shoulder relaxed on the ground and gently press your thigh downward to avoid straining the knee.

Also called: Thread the Needle Stretch, Thoracic Thread · Equipment: stretching

Open in the app
How to do it

Step by step

  1. Lie on your back with both knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
  2. Cross your right ankle over your left knee, creating a figure-four shape.
  3. Reach your right hand through the triangle formed by your legs and clasp your hands behind your left thigh.
  4. Gently draw your left thigh toward your chest while keeping your head and shoulders relaxed.
  5. Hold for 20-30 seconds, then repeat on the other side.
Muscles worked

What it trains

Mainly Upper Back.

Programming

What the research says

Alternatives · VALDA FLEX

Swap it mid-workout

With VALDA Pro, FLEX offers alternatives like these when you swap an exercise mid-workout.

Log the thread the needle in VALDA, with these cues one tap away while you train and your history for it in one place.

General information about exercise technique, not medical advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, your healthcare provider is the right person to ask.