This groin stretch is beneficial for most men— especially office workers and athletes—because it releases tight hips and improves mobility. Do this stretch both before and after a workout to mobilize your hips and relieve lower-back pressure, or anytime you’re feeling tight and want a quick stretch.
Butterfly Stretch Target Areas
- Groin
- Core
Butterfly Stretch Benefits
- Stretches groin and increases flexibility
- Relieves lower-back pain
- Improves mobility for squats, lunges, and other lower-body movements
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How to Do Butterfly Stretch
- Sit on the floor, place the soles of your feet together, and squeeze your glutes to point the knees out to the sides. Grip both ankles or feet for stability.
- Sit upright. Engage the glutes to squeeze knees closer toward the floor. Hold the posture, inhaling as you sit taller, and exhaling as you deepen the stretch in your groin.
Cues for Butterfly Stretch
- Engage glutes
- Roll shoulders up, back, and down to retract shoulder blades
- Engage core
- Pull tailbone into floor
WHAT YOU SHOULD FEEL
- Active engagement of glutes
- Stretch through groin
WHAT YOU SHOULDN’T FEEL
- Shoulder pain; if you do, roll shoulders back and adjust grip on feet
- Knee pain; if you do, move feet farther from hips and squeeze glutes
Butterfly Stretch Pro Tip
If this stretch is too easy, pull heels in closer to your groin. Just be careful not to strain your knees.
Butterfly Stretch Modification
To help you sit more upright and reduce the required core strength, sit on a block, or place your hands just behind your hips.
About Dean Pohlman, Founder & CEO of Man Flow Yoga, Author of Yoga Fitness for Men, Expert on Yoga Fitness for Men.
Dean Pohlman is making yoga more accessible to fitness-minded men. A former collegiate lacrosse player, Dean discovered yoga while recovering from injuries and quickly realized its potential to boost strength, mobility, and overall performance.
Since launching Man Flow Yoga in 2013, Dean Pohlman has built a global community that speaks for itself:
- 195,000+ customers
- 42+ million YouTube views
- 200,000+ followers across Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok
Dean’s book Yoga Fitness for Men has sold over 50,000 copies, while his Body by Yoga DVD series has surpassed 120,000 units sold, earning him consistent #1 rankings on Amazon and thousands of five-star reviews. He’s also been featured in Men’s Health, Muscle & Fitness, GQ Magazine, Fox Tampa Bay, The Chicago Sun, and on influential podcasts like The Ready State and Ben Greenfield Fitness.
With a focus on real results, community, and technique-focused instruction, Dean Pohlman continues to change the conversation around yoga. He’s not just teaching poses—he’s helping people build stronger, more capable bodies for life.
