Core · Bodyweight
Seated Leaning Back Stretch
How to do the seated leaning back stretch, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- time
- Movement
- Extension
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Sit on the floor with your legs out in front and your hands planted behind your hips. Lean back into your hands and push your chest up toward the ceiling to open the front of your body, and hold.
- 1A stretch across your abs, chest, and the front of your shoulders
- 2Your hands pressing into the floor as your chest lifts
- 3A long line through the front of your torso
Common mistakes
- Shrugging your shoulders up toward your ears
- Cranking your neck back; let it follow your chest
- Holding your breath; breathe into the stretch
Muscles worked
The seated leaning back stretch mainly works the upper abs, with the upper chest, mid chest, front delts, forearms, lower abs, and hip flexors assisting.
- Upper AbsPrimary
- Upper ChestSupport
- Mid ChestSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- ForearmsSupport
- Lower AbsSupport
- Hip FlexorsSupport
- TricepsMinor
- ObliquesMinor
Kovo programs the seated leaning back stretch 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.