Core · Bodyweight
Sitting Windshield Wipers
How to do the sitting windshield wipers, 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 leaning back on your hands with your legs lifted and knees bent in front of you. Keeping your shoulders steady and core braced, sweep your knees together down to one side until they are just off the floor. Engage your obliques to bring your legs back to center, then sweep to the other side like windshield wipers.
- 1Your obliques and lower abs controlling the legs side to side
- 2Your upper body staying anchored as your legs move
- 3Constant tension through your midsection on every sweep
Common mistakes
- Swinging your legs with momentum instead of control
- Letting your lower back arch as the legs drop to the side
- Rushing through the reps and losing core tension
Muscles worked
The sitting windshield wipers mainly works the obliques, upper abs, and lower abs, with the hip flexors assisting.
- ObliquesPrimary
- Upper AbsPrimary
- Lower AbsPrimary
- Hip FlexorsSupport
- QuadsMinor
- GlutesMinor
- AdductorsMinor
Kovo programs the sitting windshield wipers 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.