Core · Bodyweight
Duck and Side Punch
How to do the duck and side punch, 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
- Compound
How to do it
From an athletic stance, bend your knees and duck your head and torso to one side as if slipping a punch, then come up and throw a punch across to that same side. Reset to center and repeat to the other side.
- 1Your legs loading as you duck low and explode back up
- 2Rotation through the core driving the side punch
- 3Light, quick feet keeping you balanced
Common mistakes
- Ducking with a rounded back instead of bending the knees
- Throwing the punch with only the arm and no rotation
- Standing too tall and losing the slip
Muscles worked
The duck and side punch mainly works the obliques, with the quads, upper abs, lower abs, glutes, calves, and front delts assisting.
- ObliquesPrimary
- QuadsSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- Lower AbsSupport
- GlutesSupport
- CalvesSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- TricepsMinor
- ForearmsMinor
- Mid ChestMinor
- LatsMinor
- Lower BackMinor
- Upper TrapsMinor
- HamstringsMinor
- Side DeltsMinor
- AdductorsMinor
- Hip FlexorsMinor
Kovo programs the duck and side punch 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.