Shoulders · Dumbbell
on a Bench Dumbbell Side Lying Internal Rotation
How to do the on a bench dumbbell side lying internal rotation, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.

- Equipment
- Dumbbell
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Rotation
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Lie on your side on a bench with a light dumbbell in your bottom hand and that elbow tucked against your ribs at a right angle. Rotate the dumbbell up across your stomach toward the bench, then lower it back down under control.
- 1Front of the shoulder rotating the weight in toward your belly
- 2Your elbow pinned to your side as a fixed hinge
- 3A slow, controlled lower back to the start
Common mistakes
- Letting your elbow drift away from your ribs
- Using your wrist or momentum to swing the weight
- Going too heavy and rolling your torso to cheat
Muscles worked
The on a bench dumbbell side lying internal rotation mainly works the internal rotators.
- Internal RotatorsPrimary
- ForearmsMinor
- Mid ChestMinor
- LatsMinor
- Front DeltsMinor
Kovo programs the on a bench dumbbell side lying internal rotation 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 hips & adductors exercises
- How to do the butterfly stretch
- How to do the external rotation
- How to do the cable hip adduction
- How to do the internal rotation
- How to do the cobra pose
- How to do the core scrunch
Last reviewed June 2026.
