Core · Bodyweight
Ear to Knee Side Bend
How to do the ear to knee side bend, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Flexion
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart and one hand behind your head. Bend sideways at the waist while drawing the same-side knee up toward your elbow, aiming to bring your ear toward your knee. Contract your obliques to crunch the two together, then return upright.
- 1Your obliques squeezing as ear and knee draw together
- 2A strong contraction along the working side of your waist
- 3Balance held through your standing leg
Common mistakes
- Rotating your torso instead of bending to the side
- Pulling your head down with your hand
- Using momentum to fling the knee up
Muscles worked
The ear to knee side bend mainly works the obliques, with the upper abs, lower abs, and hip flexors assisting.
- ObliquesPrimary
- Upper AbsSupport
- Lower AbsSupport
- Hip FlexorsSupport
- QuadsMinor
- Side DeltsMinor
Kovo programs the ear to knee side bend 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
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- 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.