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Adductors + back line

Pancake good morning

Medium3 minFloor space

Movement guide

Pancake good morning

DemandMedium
Equipment requiredFloor space
Muscle focusNot yet classified

Loading the 3D figure…

Gets into position, then repeats the movement. Technical checks passed; qualified exercise review is pending.
Watch it bigger, and flip through similar moves, in the studio.Open in the studio

Existing guide · editorial review pending. Clinical review is pending.

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Sources and review status

Sources support the educational description; they do not establish that this exercise is suitable for you.

  • ATG · Ben Patrick

No variation is labeled clinically validated.

Seated straddle, chest tall, hinge forward from the hips with a long spine and return. Borrowed from the ATG playbook: loading the fold, not just falling into it, is what makes the range stick.

Make it easier or harder

Choose a version that fits your control and comfort.

Easier option

Seated straddle stretch demonstrated on the 3D figure3D demoSeated straddle stretchBeginner · No equipment

Suggested next step, beginner grade.

This move

Pancake good morning demonstrated on the 3D figure3D demoPancake good morningIntermediate · No equipment

Intermediate grade.

Harder option

Middle splits (side splits) demonstrated on the 3D figure3D demoMiddle splits (side splits)Expert · No equipment

Suggested next step, expert grade.

The dose

8 slow hinges, no rounding

How to do it

  1. 01Sit on the floor (or the edge of a cushion) with legs straddled comfortably wide.
  2. 02Sit tall first; if tall is hard here, raise the hips higher on the cushion.
  3. 03Hinge the chest forward from the hips with a long spine, hands reaching along the floor.
  4. 04Return to tall with control; eight slow hinges, range growing rep by rep.

Mistakes that waste your reps

  • Rounding the spine to fake forward distance; the fold happens at the hips or not at all.
  • Straddling wider than you can sit tall in.
  • Yanking with the hands instead of hinging with the trunk.

Sit higher on a cushion and narrow the straddle.

Hold a breath at your end range and reach one extra inch on the exhale.

Where this comes from

evidence · emergingATG · Ben Patrick

Discomfort that eases as you move is normal; pain that sharpens is a stop sign. If this area is injured or persistently painful, a clinician outranks this page.

Written by Kyle Jenkin · updated August 31, 2026 · how we grade evidence

Pairs well with

Adductor length + strength

Cossack squat

Wide stance, shift all the way over one leg while the other stays long. Half stretch, half single-leg squat, it builds strength through the inner line's full length instead of just pulling on it.

→ 6 slow shifts per side, hold the last one

Medium4 minevidence · emergingSide lunge studies · Escamilla 2022, Riemann 2013, Delmore 2014

Deep adductor opening

Frog rock

Knees wide on the floor, forearms down, rock the hips back toward the heels and return. The rocking keeps it a movement rather than a hang, which the tissue tolerates far better.

→ 12 slow rocks, breathe into the floor

Medium3 minevidence · emergingestablished practice

What it works

Muscles

Works the groin, hips and thighs. Individual muscles are not yet classified.

Equipment

None: body weight and floor space.

Level

Intermediate. See the easier and harder options above.

Workouts that use it

Guides that use it

Similar moves

Active pancake lift-off demonstrated on the 3D figure3D demoActive pancake lift-offAdvanced · No equipment

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Questions people ask

What muscles does the Pancake good morning work?

It works the groin, hips and thighs.

What equipment do I need for the Pancake good morning?

No equipment: your body weight and a little floor space.

Is the Pancake good morning good for beginners?

It is graded intermediate. If it is too hard right now, start with the Seated straddle stretch.

What is an easier alternative to the Pancake good morning?

Try the Seated straddle stretch. It is the suggested step down from this move.

How do I make the Pancake good morning harder?

Progress to the Middle splits (side splits). Follow that guide’s technique and any stated timing.

One move is a start. A thread is better.

Find your thread →All groin moves

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