Core · Bodyweight
Hanging Side Lean
How to do the hanging side lean, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- Flexion
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Hang from a bar with both hands and your body fully extended. Keeping your arms straight, lean your hips and legs to one side, then control back to center and lean to the other side.
- 1Feel your obliques contract to pull you sideways
- 2Keep a tight grip and steady shoulders
- 3Control the swing back to center on each side
Common mistakes
- Don't use momentum to swing your legs
- Avoid letting your grip or shoulders go slack
- Don't bend at the knees to cheat the lean
Muscles worked
The hanging side lean mainly works the obliques and forearms, with the lats, lower abs, upper abs, and hip flexors assisting.
- ObliquesPrimary
- ForearmsPrimary
- LatsSupport
- Lower AbsSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- Hip FlexorsSupport
- BicepsMinor
- Lower BackMinor
- Upper TrapsMinor
- Lower TrapsMinor
Kovo programs the hanging side lean 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.