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This simple yoga pose delivers core-crushing results backed by science

Real men do yoga to build a core of steel

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man doing boat pose
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I’ve loved yoga for many years, and I enjoyed interviewing Master Yoga Trainer Elisei Rusu to learn how to effectively use yoga as a vehicle for strength training. It doesn’t just boost your flexibility and balance; you’ll also build muscle strength; the research backs this up.

While there are lots of exercises that can torch your deeper core muscles and help you develop a more sculpted mid-section, the boat pose (Paripurna Navasana) is definitely one of the more straightforward and effective choices. It might not sound like much, but this yoga pose is worth including in your workout routine. It’s harder than it looks, and all you need is a yoga mat. From activating your abdominal muscles to enhancing your core power, let’s look into the science-backed benefits of the boat pose and how to do it right.

How to do the boat pose

boat pose
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Here’s how to do the boat pose:

  1. Start seated on your yoga mat with a straight spine and your knees bent. Your feet should be planted firmly on the floor.
  2. While maintaining a straight spine, try to lean back a little.
  3. With your core engaged, lift your feet up off the ground while keeping the bend in your knees.
  4. Try to stay balanced in the same position and reach your arms forward with your palms facing either towards each other or down to the ground. While you’re reaching your arms forward, you can straighten your legs to form the boat pose.
  5. Hold the pose for as long as you’d like or for a few breaths before slowly returning to the starting position.

What are the benefits?

man lifting shirt abs
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The following are just some of the many benefits of boat pose:

  • Mix up your workout routine.
  • Target your deeper core muscles.
  • Increase the flexibility of your hamstrings.
  • Improve your posture.
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Yoga has been shown to enhance overall well-being, lower stress, and reduce body fat and waist circumference. The boat pose is one of many yoga poses you can try.

Muscles worked

Man with shirt off and strong abs looking over the ocean
Kal Visuals / Unsplash

With this one simple static move, you can target:

  • Your core muscles, including your rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, and obliques. 
  • Your shoulders, arms, and back.
  • Your legs, including your quads. 

Top tips to improve your technique

boat pose
Fizkes / Shutterstock

These top tips can help you improve your boat pose technique:

  • If your hamstring muscles on the back of your thighs are a little too tight or sore to do the full boat pose, you can start with the modified version by bending your knees.
  • Keep your core engaged and your breath steady as you balance on your sitting bones throughout the movement.
  • Avoid rounding your spine, as this can strain your back muscles.
  • Try to avoid shrugging your shoulders and keep your shoulders relaxed instead.
  • Flex your toes to feel a deeper stretch.

Some people prefer a softer surface or a thicker mat to perform this exercise, which can feel better on the tailbone area. Personally, I ended up buying a two-inch thick yoga mat in my favorite color, and it was worth every penny. My doughy mat definitely enhances the experience of performing certain exercises and yoga moves, such as the boat pose.

Try boat pose with a strap and level up

boat pose with strap resistance band
Tima Miroshnichenko / Pexels

If you want to shift more emphasis to your arms and try a different intermediate variation of the boat pose, you’ll need a strap. You hold the ends of the strap or band with both hands and place it around the soles of your feet. Now, you can hold the boat pose.

Steph Green
Steph Green
Steph Green (Steph Zee) is a singer-songwriter and professional writer with over 12 years of experience in healthcare and…
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