Home · Exercise Library · Chest · Dolphin to Sphinx Pose

Dolphin to Sphinx Pose

This floor flow moves between dolphin — a forearm-supported pike with the hips high — and sphinx, a chest-up position with the forearms flat and the pelvis resting down. Cycling slowly between the two builds shoulder endurance and takes the spine through flexion and extension, and it suits intermediates who can already hold a solid forearm plank. Coached by Maddy (NASM-CPT) — these are the exact form cues he gives on every client's first week.

Muscles worked

Abs · rectus abdominis Hip flexors · iliopsoas Chest · pectoralis major

Sets & reps by goal

Goal	Sets × Reps	Rest
Strength	4 sets × 3-6 slow transitions with a 3-sec pause in each pose	60-90 sec
Muscle	3 sets × 9-12 transitions	60 sec
Endurance	2 sets × 60-90 sec of continuous flowing	45 sec

Level — Intermediate

Intermediate — hold a clean 45-second forearm plank before adding the moving transitions.

Proper form — 5 cues

Plant the forearms parallel, elbows under the shoulders, and glue them to the floor for the entire flow.
In dolphin, drive the hips up and back while pressing the chest toward the thighs.
Travel forward slowly, lowering the pelvis to the floor as the chest pulls through and lifts into sphinx.
In sphinx, drag the forearms isometrically toward you to lift the breastbone without shrugging.
Take a full three-count in each direction — the slowness is the exercise.

Breathing: Exhale as you press back to dolphin, inhale as the chest glides through to sphinx.

The 3 mistakes Maddy corrects most

Elbows sliding wider apart as fatigue builds. Once the elbows leave the shoulder line, the joint loses its stacked support and the neck starts gripping. Fix: Re-stack the elbows under the shoulders between reps and end the set when they keep drifting.

Crashing the hips down into sphinx. Dropping the pelvis in one lump jams the transition into the lower back instead of spreading it along the spine. Fix: Lower in segments — thighs, then pelvis — with the glutes lightly engaged as the chest rises.

Shrugging the shoulders toward the ears in dolphin. A shrugged position hands the load to the neck and upper traps rather than the shoulders and lats. Fix: Push the floor away and make the neck long, ears moving away from the shoulders.

Common questions

What is the dolphin-to-sphinx flow actually good for?

Three things at once: shoulder endurance in a stacked forearm position, spinal movement through both rounding and arching, and control of slow transitions — the skill most trainees lack. It earns a place as a warm-up before pressing sessions or as trunk work on lighter days, rather than as a main strength exercise.

Is this flow safe for a sensitive lower back?

Sphinx is one of the gentler extension positions because the forearms carry the torso and the arch stays modest, so most people tolerate it well. Move slowly, keep the glutes lightly engaged as the pelvis lowers, and shrink the range if any pinching appears. Sharp pain is a stop signal, not something to push through.

Dolphin vs downward dog — what is the difference?

Dolphin is the forearm version of the same shape. Taking the hands out of the equation removes wrist strain and forces the shoulders to work harder, because you cannot press through a straight arm. If wrists complain in downward dog, dolphin usually solves it while giving the shoulders a tougher stimulus.

Related exercises

Boat HoldAbs · Hip flexors Boat Hold (Intermediate)Abs · Hip flexors Bow PoseAbs · Hip flexors Hollow HoldAbs · Hip flexors Sphinx PoseAbs · Hip flexors

Browse: All chest exercises · All core exercises · All hips & inner thighs exercises · All bodyweight exercises · Full exercise library

This is one exercise. Your plan is the other 99%.

Maddy hand-builds training around your exact body — schedule, recovery, injuries, food culture. It starts with a 3-minute scan.

Start My Body Scan → 11 questions · 3 min · free · no card yet