Core · Bodyweight
Sitting Side Bend on a Padded Stool
How to do the sitting side bend on a padded stool, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Extension
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Sit upright on a padded stool with your feet flat on the floor and place one hand behind your head. Bend your torso directly to one side, lowering your elbow toward your hip, then contract your obliques to return upright. Complete your reps on one side before switching.
- 1Your obliques contracting as you bend to the side
- 2A stretch along the opposite side of your waist
- 3A tall spine with the movement coming only from your waist
Common mistakes
- Leaning forward or backward instead of straight to the side
- Rushing the reps; move slowly and controlled
- Letting your hips lift off the stool
Muscles worked
The sitting side bend on a padded stool mainly works the obliques, with the upper abs and lower abs assisting.
- ObliquesPrimary
- Upper AbsSupport
- Lower AbsSupport
- Lower BackMinor
Kovo programs the sitting side bend on a padded stool 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.