Core · Bodyweight
Sitting Side Crunch on a Padded Stool
How to do the sitting side crunch 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
- Reps
- Movement
- Flexion
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Sit on the edge of a padded stool with your feet planted and hands lightly behind your head. Crunch your torso laterally toward one hip, drawing your ribs down toward your pelvis on that side. Return to upright with control and alternate sides each rep.
- 1Your obliques shortening as your ribs pull toward your hip
- 2A controlled squeeze at the bottom of each side bend
- 3A stable seat with your hips staying planted
Common mistakes
- Pulling on your neck to drive the movement
- Bouncing instead of crunching with control
- Rotating forward rather than bending straight to the side
Muscles worked
The sitting side crunch on a padded stool mainly works the obliques, with the upper abs and lower abs assisting.
- ObliquesPrimary
- Upper AbsSupport
- Lower AbsSupport
- Lower BackMinor
- Hip FlexorsMinor
Kovo programs the sitting side crunch 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.