Core · Bodyweight
Seated Twist with a Towel on a Padded Stool
How to do the seated twist with a towel on a padded stool, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Rotation
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Sit tall on a padded stool holding a towel taut across the front of your chest with both hands, arms extended. Rotate your torso to one side, keeping the towel level and tight, then return to center and rotate to the other side.
- 1Obliques driving the rotation from the waist
- 2Spine tall and chest open as you turn
- 3Hips and knees staying square to the front
Common mistakes
- Letting the arms turn while the torso stays still
- Rounding the back or leaning back as you twist
- Yanking the towel; keep the turn smooth and controlled
Muscles worked
The seated twist with a towel on a padded stool mainly works the obliques, with the upper abs and lower abs assisting.
- ObliquesPrimary
- Upper AbsSupport
- Lower AbsSupport
- ForearmsMinor
- LatsMinor
- Lower BackMinor
- Upper TrapsMinor
- Mid TrapsMinor
- Hip FlexorsMinor
Kovo programs the seated twist with a towel on a padded stool 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.