The pancake is one of the most useful stretches you can train—not just for calisthenics, handstands, and higher kicks, but for everyday life too.
In this tutorial, we’ll walk through 8 essential exercises that blend strength and flexibility—across beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. You’ll learn how to increase range of motion and strengthen the muscles that support deep, functional flexibility.
Beginner Phase: Foundations of Hip Mobility
If you're new to hip mobility or the pancake stretch, the goal is to get strong and comfortable in a wide-legged position—with bent knees to reduce tension.
🔹 Strength: Horse Stance Squat
- Toe-heel your feet wide 2–3x
- Keep the inner edges of your feet parallel
- Bend the knees and sink low, squeezing the hips to drive the knees outward
- If you feel blocked, roll the hips slightly forward
🔹 Flexibility: Butterfly Stretch
- Sit tall with hips rooted and feet together
- Squeeze outer hips to pull knees toward the ground
- Use a dumbbell, hands, or forearms for gentle pressure
- Add PAILs/RAILs for deeper gains:
- PAILs: Drive knees into hands (resist the stretch)
- RAILs: Pull knees toward the floor (go with the stretch)
Progress when:
You can hold horse stance with thighs parallel and bring knees close to the ground in butterfly actively.
Intermediate Phase: Strength Through Range
At this stage, you’re learning to move and control deeper ranges of motion. Strength meets mobility.
🔹 Strength: Cossack Squat
- Wide stance, feet turned slightly out
- Shift weight, bend one knee, keep other leg straight
- Keep torso upright (some forward lean is okay)
- Experiment with toe position on straight leg: flat for adductors, toes up for hamstrings
- Add weight or elevate the straight leg for more challenge
🔹 Flexibility: Straddle Jefferson Curl
- Stand on two boxes or chairs with a gap between
- Flex spine segmentally, fold forward slowly
- Tuck the tail and reverse to stand back up
- Start bodyweight, then add load (KB or DB)
🔹 Mobility: Seated Leg Raises (Pike & Straddle)
- Sit in a forward fold, spine long
- Lift legs off the ground using only your core
- Keep knees locked, pause at the top
- Try double leg, single leg, or hover over blocks
- Circle the legs for added difficulty
Progress when:
You can reach full depth in your Cossack (hamstring to calf), maintain spinal alignment in Jefferson Curls, and raise straight legs with control in Seated leg Raises.
Advanced Phase: Maximize Strength + Mobility
Now you're ready to train deeper range with power, control, and awareness.
🔹 Strength: Seated Good Mornings
- Sit on a bench with knees bent ~90°
- Hinge forward with a straight spine, chest to thighs
- Add load with weights or bands
- Progress to the floor over time, straightening legs gradually
🔹 Mobility: Kinetic Pancake Stretch
- Sit in a straddle with hands behind head
- Fold forward actively, keeping spine long
- Return upright by contracting hamstrings and adductors
- Use bands or weights if needed, then reduce over time
- Finish with passive stretch or add a “block push” to go deeper
🔹 Bonus: Pancake PAILs/RAILs
- In your deepest stretch:
- PAILs: Drive legs down and together (resist)
- RAILs: Lift legs off the floor and spread wider (assist)
- Finish in passive stretch to seal the gains
🚀 Ready to Train Your Pancake?
These progressions come straight from the mobility work I program for my 1:1 coaching students.
You can explore every drill in the free movement library—450+ tutorials, free to browse.
🎯 Train Smarter. Move Freely. Let’s evolve together:
With gratitude,
Jared F.
Movement Coach | Evolve with Jared
Co-owner | Gravity Samui
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