Core · Bodyweight
Bodyweight Windmill
How to do the bodyweight windmill, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Rotation
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width and turn your toes out a touch. Reach one arm straight overhead with an open hand and keep your eyes on it. Shift your weight to the opposite leg, hinge at your hips, and slide your free hand down your inner thigh toward your shin while keeping the raised arm stacked over your shoulder. Go as low as your hamstrings allow, then drive through your hips to stand tall. Finish your reps, then switch sides.
- 1Keep the top arm locked overhead and your eyes on your hand the whole
- 2time
- 3Feel the stretch through your obliques and hamstrings as you hinge to the side
- 4Drive through your hips to stand, not your lower back
Common mistakes
- Don't round your back or let the loaded-side knee cave in
- Avoid letting the top arm drift forward out of line with your shoulder
- Don't rush; move slowly so you keep balance and control
Muscles worked
The bodyweight windmill mainly works the obliques, with the upper abs, side delts, triceps, forearms, lower abs, glutes, hamstrings, and front delts assisting.
- ObliquesPrimary
- Upper AbsSupport
- Side DeltsSupport
- TricepsSupport
- ForearmsSupport
- Lower AbsSupport
- GlutesSupport
- HamstringsSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- Mid TrapsMinor
- Lower TrapsMinor
Kovo programs the bodyweight windmill 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.