Core · Bodyweight
Side to Side Knee Tuck
How to do the side to side knee tuck, 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
Sit on the floor leaning back slightly with your hands behind you for support and your legs extended. Brace your core and pull both knees toward one side of your chest, then extend and pull them toward the other side. Keep your feet off the floor and alternate sides, twisting through your trunk.
- 1Feel your obliques and lower abs work as you tuck your knees side to side
- 2Keep your core braced and chest lifted throughout
- 3Control the legs in and out rather than dropping them
Common mistakes
- Don't let your feet touch the floor between reps
- Avoid rounding your back and collapsing your chest
- Don't use momentum to swing your legs across
Muscles worked
The side to side knee tuck mainly works the lower abs and obliques, with the upper abs, hip flexors, and quads assisting.
- Lower AbsPrimary
- ObliquesPrimary
- Upper AbsSupport
- Hip FlexorsSupport
- QuadsSupport
- TricepsMinor
- ForearmsMinor
- HamstringsMinor
- Front DeltsMinor
- AdductorsMinor
Kovo programs the side to side knee tuck 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.