Core · Bodyweight
Seated Side Bend on a Chair
How to do the seated side bend 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
- Extension
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Sit tall on a chair with your feet flat on the floor and one hand reaching down toward the floor at your side. Keeping your hips square and facing forward, bend your torso sideways to lower your hand toward the floor, then use your obliques to pull back up to upright. Repeat on the same side or alternate.
- 1Feel your obliques stretch and then contract to pull you back upright
- 2Keep your hips square and your spine tall
- 3Squeeze your side at the top of each rep
Common mistakes
- Avoid rotating your torso or leaning forward
- Don't bend backward; move only to the side
- Avoid using momentum; move slowly
Muscles worked
The seated side bend on a chair mainly works the obliques, with the upper abs and lower abs assisting.
- ObliquesPrimary
- Upper AbsSupport
- Lower AbsSupport
- Lower BackMinor
Kovo programs the seated side bend 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.