Core · Bodyweight
Twist Knee Drive
How to do the twist knee drive, 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
- Compound
How to do it
Stand with your feet hip-width and your hands up near your chest. Drive one knee up and across your body while twisting your torso so the opposite elbow meets the knee, then return and repeat on the other side in a quick, rhythmic cadence. Rotate from your trunk, not just your arms.
- 1Your obliques crunching as you twist knee to elbow
- 2Your standing leg and glute holding balance
- 3A strong rotation coming from your midsection
Common mistakes
- Don't just swing your arms; rotate from the core
- Avoid rounding your back to force elbow and knee together
- Don't lose your balance by rushing each rep
Muscles worked
The twist knee drive mainly works the obliques, with the upper abs, lower abs, hip flexors, quads, and glutes assisting.
- ObliquesPrimary
- Upper AbsSupport
- Lower AbsSupport
- Hip FlexorsSupport
- QuadsSupport
- GlutesSupport
- Lower BackMinor
- HamstringsMinor
- CalvesMinor
Kovo programs the twist knee drive 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.