Core · Bodyweight
Side and Front in Out
How to do the side and front in out, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- Flexion
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Sit on the floor, lean back slightly, and lift your feet to balance on your hips with knees tucked. Extend your legs straight out to the front, pull them back in, then extend them out to the sides and back in. Keep the feet floating and cycle through the front and side extensions with a tight core.
- 1Lower abs working as the legs extend and return
- 2Inner thighs and obliques engaging on the side extensions
- 3Core holding your balance the whole set
Common mistakes
- Dropping your feet to the floor between reps
- Letting your lower back round and collapse
- Rushing the extensions instead of controlling them
Muscles worked
The side and front in out mainly works the lower abs and hip flexors, with the upper abs, obliques, quads, and adductors assisting.
- Lower AbsPrimary
- Hip FlexorsPrimary
- Upper AbsSupport
- ObliquesSupport
- QuadsSupport
- AdductorsSupport
- Lower BackMinor
- GlutesMinor
- HamstringsMinor
- Tibialis AnteriorMinor
Kovo programs the side and front in out 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.