Chest · Bodyweight
Side Lying Chest Stretch
How to do the side lying chest 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
- time
- Movement
- Extension
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Lie on your side with the bottom arm reaching out in front of you for stability. Sweep the top arm up and back behind you, letting your chest open toward the ceiling until you feel a stretch across the pec, hold, then switch sides.
- 1Feel a stretch open across the chest and front of the shoulder
- 2Keep your hips stacked and stable so the rotation comes from your upper body
- 3Breathe slowly and let the top arm settle a little deeper with each breath
Common mistakes
- Do not force the arm back to the point of shoulder pinching
- Avoid letting your hips roll all the way over to chase more range
- Do not hold your breath; relax into the stretch
Muscles worked
The side lying chest stretch mainly works the mid chest, with the upper chest, lower chest, and front delts assisting.
- Mid ChestPrimary
- Upper ChestSupport
- Lower ChestSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- BicepsMinor
- Internal RotatorsMinor
Kovo programs the side lying chest 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 chest exercises
- How to do the archer push-up
- How to do the assisted dip
- How to do the resistance band chest flyes
- How to do the resistance band push-up
- How to do the barbell bench press
- How to do the paused bench press
Last reviewed June 2026.