Core · Bodyweight
Seated Overhead Stretch
How to do the seated overhead 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
- Timed hold
- Movement
- Rotation
- Mechanic
- Mobility
How to do it
Sit tall with the soles of your feet together and one hand lightly on the floor beside you. Reach the opposite elbow or arm upward and gently side bend away from the grounded hand until you feel a stretch through the side of your torso. Hold, then switch sides.
- 1Feel the stretch from your hip up through your obliques and lats as you reach and side bend
- 2Keep your chest open and both sit bones grounded so the movement stays long rather than collapsed
- 3Let the top arm create length before you think about bending deeper
Common mistakes
- Do not twist your torso or fold forward; keep the movement as a clean side bend
- Avoid shrugging the reaching shoulder or cranking your neck into the stretch
- Do not dump all your weight into the hand on the floor or force range through the low back
Muscles worked
The seated overhead stretch works the obliques and lats.
- ObliquesSupport
- LatsSupport
- Mid TrapsMinor
Kovo programs the seated overhead 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 April 2026.