Weighted Pigeon Hold
External hip rotation at full length under load — what a deep lunge, a turn-out and a guard position all run out of
How to do it well
The set-up and the rep in full, then the cues the app shows on the exercise card — the short version, for the moment you are standing in front of the bar.
Set-up
From hands and knees, bring one knee forward behind the wrist on the same side and lay that shin across in front of you. Slide the back leg straight out behind, top of the foot on the floor. Rest a plate or dumbbell on the outside of the front hip.
The rep
Square the hips to the front, then let the weight settle the front hip down towards the floor. Walk the hands forward and lower the chest if the hip allows. Hold for forty seconds, breathing slowly and sinking a little further as it releases. Push back up and swap sides.
On the exercise card
- Front shin across, back leg long
- Let the weight settle the hip down
- Square the hips before you sink further
- Tempo
- sink slowly
What goes wrong, and the fix
| What goes wrong | The fix |
|---|---|
| The hips rotating open | Square them first. If the back-leg hip twists up, the stretch leaves the front hip. |
| Pain in the front knee | Bring the front heel closer to your hips so the knee bends more. Stop if the knee hurts. |
| Collapsing onto one side | Keep your weight central through the front hip. |
Make it easier, or harder
- Easier
- A pillow under the front hip, or the front shin angled further back.
- Harder
- The front shin closer to parallel with the front of the mat, or a heavier plate.
How Train Smart prescribes it
The sets and reps below are the authored starting point. The actual weight you see is calculated from your own last top set and the week you are in within your four-week block.
Deep lunges, turn-out and guard positions all run out of external hip rotation. The dance and bodyweight programs hold this in their prehab blocks, with a weight to help the hip settle.
| Program | Session | Sets × reps | Load |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dance | Lower Power + Landing | 2 × 40s/side | Plate / DB on the front hip |
| Bodyweight Athlete | Athletic Power + Core | 2 × 40s/side | Plate / DB on the front hip |
What it trains, and who trains it
- Muscles worked
- Glutes
- Region
- Full body
- Classified as
- Mobility
- Prescribed in
- dance · bodyweight training
This exercise, in a program that knows why it is there
Train Smart puts this movement in the right session, at the right point in your block, at a weight calculated for you — and swaps it automatically if you do not have the kit.
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