Core · Bodyweight
Windmill on Chair
How to do the windmill on chair, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- Rotation
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Sit tall on a chair with one arm pressed straight overhead. Hinge and lean toward the opposite side, sliding your free hand down toward the floor while keeping your raised arm locked overhead and your eyes on your hand. Return to upright and repeat, then switch sides.
- 1Your obliques stretching and contracting through the side bend
- 2Shoulder stability holding the top arm locked overhead
- 3Your core controlling the lean down and the return up
Common mistakes
- Rounding your back instead of bending to the side
- Letting the overhead arm bend or drift forward
- Rushing; move slowly to stay balanced and controlled
Muscles worked
The windmill on chair mainly works the obliques, with the upper abs, side delts, triceps, forearms, lower abs, and front delts assisting.
- ObliquesPrimary
- Upper AbsSupport
- Side DeltsSupport
- TricepsSupport
- ForearmsSupport
- Lower AbsSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- Lower BackMinor
- Upper TrapsMinor
- Mid TrapsMinor
- Lower TrapsMinor
Kovo programs the windmill on 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.