Core · Bodyweight
Side Plank Twist
How to do the side plank twist, 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
- Rotation
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Set up in a side plank on one forearm with your body in a straight line. Reach your top arm up, then rotate your torso and thread that arm underneath your body, twisting through the waist, before opening back up to the start.
- 1Obliques bracing and then rotating the torso
- 2Hips staying lifted as you twist and return
- 3The down-side shoulder pushing the floor away
Common mistakes
- Letting the hips drop toward the floor
- Rushing the rotation and losing the plank line
- Collapsing into the supporting shoulder
Muscles worked
The side plank twist mainly works the obliques, with the upper abs, lower abs, glutes, and side delts assisting.
- ObliquesPrimary
- Upper AbsSupport
- Lower AbsSupport
- GlutesSupport
- Side DeltsSupport
- LatsMinor
Kovo programs the side plank twist 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.