Core · Bodyweight
Seated Overhead Stretch on a Chair
How to do the seated overhead stretch 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
- time
- Movement
- Rotation
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Sit tall on a chair with both feet flat and one hand resting beside you. Reach the opposite arm up overhead and gently side bend away from your supporting hand until you feel a stretch down the side of your torso. Hold, breathe, then switch sides.
- 1A stretch from your hip up through your obliques and lats
- 2Chest open and both sit bones grounded
- 3The reaching arm creating length before you bend further
Common mistakes
- Twisting your torso or folding forward
- Shrugging the reaching shoulder or cranking your neck
- Forcing the range through your low back
Muscles worked
The seated overhead stretch on a chair mainly works the obliques, with the lats assisting.
- ObliquesPrimary
- LatsSupport
- Mid TrapsMinor
Kovo programs the seated overhead stretch 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.