Core · Bodyweight
Side Plank Side Crunch
How to do the side plank side crunch, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Flexion
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Set up in a side plank with your elbow under your shoulder and hips lifted. Reach your top arm overhead, then crunch by bringing your top elbow and top knee together over the side of your body, and extend back out. Finish your reps and switch sides.
- 1Your obliques crunching the top elbow and knee together
- 2Hips staying lifted so your body holds the side-plank line
- 3Controlled movement out and back without dropping your hips
Common mistakes
- Letting your hips sag toward the floor between reps
- Twisting your torso forward instead of crunching to the side
- Collapsing into your bottom shoulder
Muscles worked
The side plank side crunch mainly works the obliques, with the upper abs, lower abs, glutes, side delts, and hip flexors assisting.
- ObliquesPrimary
- Upper AbsSupport
- Lower AbsSupport
- GlutesSupport
- Side DeltsSupport
- Hip FlexorsSupport
- QuadsMinor
- AdductorsMinor
Kovo programs the side plank side crunch 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.