Core · Bodyweight
Side to Side Punches
How to do the side to side punches, 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
- Rotation
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Stand in an athletic stance with knees soft and fists up by your chin. Rotate through your torso to throw a straight punch across your body to one side, then pull back and punch to the other side in a steady rhythm. Pivot your feet slightly with each punch and keep the pace brisk for the set duration.
- 1Your obliques rotating the torso into each punch
- 2Your shoulders and arms snapping the punch out and back
- 3A light bounce in your legs between punches
Common mistakes
- Punching only with the arms and no torso rotation
- Locking your elbows hard at full extension
- Standing flat-footed and stiff
Muscles worked
The side to side punches mainly works the obliques, with the front delts, triceps, mid chest, upper abs, lower abs, and quads assisting.
- ObliquesPrimary
- Front DeltsSupport
- TricepsSupport
- Mid ChestSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- Lower AbsSupport
- QuadsSupport
- ForearmsMinor
- LatsMinor
- Lower BackMinor
- Upper TrapsMinor
- GlutesMinor
- HamstringsMinor
- CalvesMinor
- Side DeltsMinor
- Rear DeltsMinor
- Internal RotatorsMinor
- AdductorsMinor
- Hip FlexorsMinor
Kovo programs the side to side punches 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.