Core · Bodyweight
Bent Knee Lying Twist
How to do the bent knee lying twist, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- Rotation
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Lie on your back with your arms out to the sides and your knees bent and stacked over your hips. Let both knees lower together to one side toward the floor while your shoulders stay flat, then bring them back and lower to the other side.
- 1A gentle rotation and stretch through your lower back and hips
- 2Your obliques controlling the knees down and back
- 3Your shoulders staying pinned to the floor
Common mistakes
- Letting your shoulders peel off the floor
- Dropping the knees fast instead of controlling them
- Forcing the range past mild tension
Muscles worked
The bent knee lying twist mainly works the obliques, with the lower abs and lower back assisting.
- ObliquesPrimary
- Lower AbsSupport
- Lower BackSupport
- Upper AbsMinor
- GlutesMinor
- AdductorsMinor
- Hip FlexorsMinor
Kovo programs the bent knee lying twist for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More abs & core exercises
- How to do the ab wheel rollout
- How to do the ankle tap plank
- How to do the ankle taps
- How to do the resistance band dead bugs
- How to do the resistance band pallof press
- How to do the rollout
Last reviewed June 2026.