Core · Bodyweight
Sitting Alternate Knee to Elbow Twist
How to do the sitting alternate knee to elbow twist, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- Rotation
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Sit on the floor with your torso leaned back slightly and feet lifted or lightly touching down. Twist your torso and draw one knee in to meet the opposite elbow, then switch sides in a controlled cycling motion. Keep your core engaged and spine tall as you rotate side to side.
- 1Feel your obliques twist your ribcage toward the opposite knee
- 2Keep your core braced and chest lifted as you rotate
- 3Draw the knee and elbow together with control on each rep
Common mistakes
- Do not round your back or collapse your chest
- Avoid swinging with momentum instead of twisting
- Do not just tap; rotate fully through the torso
Muscles worked
The sitting alternate knee to elbow twist mainly works the obliques, upper abs, and lower abs, with the hip flexors assisting.
- ObliquesPrimary
- Upper AbsPrimary
- Lower AbsPrimary
- Hip FlexorsSupport
- Lower BackMinor
- QuadsMinor
Kovo programs the sitting alternate knee to elbow 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.