Core · Bodyweight
Seated Alternate Thoracic Rotation on a Chair
How to do the seated alternate thoracic rotation on a chair, 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
- Isolation
How to do it
Sit tall on a chair with feet flat and hands crossed over your chest or behind your head. Rotate your upper back to turn your torso toward one side as far as is comfortable, then return to center and rotate to the other side. Keep your hips and lower body still so the movement comes from your mid-back.
- 1Feel the rotation come from your mid-back, not your hips
- 2Keep your chest tall and shoulders relaxed as you turn
- 3Move smoothly and feel a gentle stretch at the end of each turn
Common mistakes
- Do not let your hips or knees rotate with your torso
- Avoid forcing the twist past a comfortable range
- Do not slump or round your lower back
Muscles worked
The seated alternate thoracic rotation on a chair mainly works the obliques, with the lower back, upper abs, and lower abs assisting.
- ObliquesPrimary
- Lower BackSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- Lower AbsSupport
- LatsMinor
- Upper TrapsMinor
- Mid TrapsMinor
- Lower TrapsMinor
Kovo programs the seated alternate thoracic rotation on a chair 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.