Core · Bodyweight
Sitting Side Bend Stretch
How to do the sitting side bend stretch, 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
- Flexion
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Sit tall on the floor or a chair with one hand resting beside you and the other reaching up overhead. Lean directly to the side, reaching the top arm over, until you feel a stretch down the opposite side of your torso. Hold, then switch sides.
- 1A stretch down the side of your torso and waist
- 2A long line from the lifted hand to the hip
- 3Hips staying grounded as you reach over
Common mistakes
- Rotating or leaning forward instead of straight sideways
- Letting the bottom hip lift off the seat
- Bouncing into the stretch; ease in and hold
Muscles worked
The sitting side bend stretch mainly works the obliques, with the lats, lower back, upper abs, and lower abs assisting.
- ObliquesPrimary
- LatsSupport
- Lower BackSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- Lower AbsSupport
Kovo programs the sitting side bend stretch 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.