How many reps of the scorpion reach should you do when you are new to the exercise?

Two sets of 6 to 8 slow reps per side is a good starting dose, pausing briefly at the top of the reach each time rather than rushing through. As control improves, extend the pause to two or three seconds before adding more reps.

How do I make the scorpion reach easier or harder?

For an easier version, shrink the sweep so the foot only travels a short distance across instead of reaching for full range, keeping both hands solidly planted. To progress it, slow the sweep to a five-count and hold the top position for two full breaths before returning.

What is the scorpion reach good for and when is it not a good choice?

It combines a hip-and-thoracic mobility drill with glute-driven rotary strength, useful as a warm-up opener or the rotation piece of a flow circuit. It is a poor choice right after a hip flexor strain or with an unstable shoulder, since the move loads one arm while the trunk twists open under it.

Intermediate

Scorpion Reach

The scorpion reach opens the hips and thoracic spine while the glutes drive the trailing leg up and over toward the opposite side. Holding the crawl base means the shoulders and core stabilize the whole time. It is equal parts mobility and strength, ideal for warming up the posterior chain or adding rotation to a flow circuit.

Equipment: Body Weight
Body part: Abs, Glutes
Type: Balance, Functional
Browse by muscle: Gluteus Maximus, Abdominal External Oblique
Browse by movement: Mobility Drill

How to do it

1
Start on all fours or in a beast hold with a braced core.
2
Extend the right leg straight back, then sweep it up and over toward the left side of your body.
3
Let the hips and chest rotate open to follow the leg, keeping both hands planted.
4
Reach the foot as far across as your mobility allows without collapsing the shoulders.
5
Return the leg along the same path to the starting base under control.
6
Alternate legs for the prescribed reps.

Tips

Drive the movement with the glute, not by yanking with the low back.
Keep pressing the floor away with both hands so the shoulders stay stable as you rotate.
Move slowly and stop at the range you can control; the reach should feel active, not forced.

Variations

Common mistakes

The trailing hip drops toward the floor as the leg sweeps over, letting momentum do the rotation instead of the glute.
When the reach gets ambitious, the far shoulder collapses toward the floor to chase extra range.
The sweeping foot hooks in a low arc close to the ground instead of lifting over the standing leg, catching on the floor mid-rotation.
Snapping the leg over quickly instead of sweeping it trades control for momentum and skips the hip-opening stretch.
The support-side elbow bends and caves inward under the shifted weight, instead of staying locked as the trunk rotates.

Frequently asked

How many reps of the scorpion reach should you do when you are new to the exercise?: Two sets of 6 to 8 slow reps per side is a good starting dose, pausing briefly at the top of the reach each time rather than rushing through. As control improves, extend the pause to two or three seconds before adding more reps.
How do I make the scorpion reach easier or harder?: For an easier version, shrink the sweep so the foot only travels a short distance across instead of reaching for full range, keeping both hands solidly planted. To progress it, slow the sweep to a five-count and hold the top position for two full breaths before returning.
What is the scorpion reach good for and when is it not a good choice?: It combines a hip-and-thoracic mobility drill with glute-driven rotary strength, useful as a warm-up opener or the rotation piece of a flow circuit. It is a poor choice right after a hip flexor strain or with an unstable shoulder, since the move loads one arm while the trunk twists open under it.

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