Core · Bodyweight
Sitting Swimming Knee Raise on a Chair
How to do the sitting swimming knee raise on a chair, 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
- Compound
How to do it
Sit tall on a chair and sweep your arms in a swimming stroke while lifting one knee toward your chest, then the other. Coordinate the arm strokes with alternating knee raises in a steady rhythm.
- 1Feel your lower abs and hip flexors lift each knee
- 2Feel your shoulders and upper back work through the strokes
- 3Stay tall and braced as you coordinate arms and legs
Common mistakes
- Don't slouch or round your back as you raise the knee
- Don't drop the legs with no control
- Don't shrug your shoulders through the strokes
Muscles worked
The sitting swimming knee raise on a chair mainly works the lower abs and hip flexors, with the upper abs, mid traps, obliques, front delts, side delts, and rear delts assisting.
- Lower AbsPrimary
- Hip FlexorsPrimary
- Upper AbsSupport
- Mid TrapsSupport
- ObliquesSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- Side DeltsSupport
- Rear DeltsSupport
- LatsMinor
- Upper TrapsMinor
- Lower TrapsMinor
- QuadsMinor
- Tibialis AnteriorMinor
Kovo programs the sitting swimming knee raise on a chair 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.