WorkoutShow
Standing Side Bends Drag to rotate
Mobility & Stretching

How to do Standing Side Bends

Standing side bends reach one arm overhead and lean sideways to stretch and strengthen the obliques.

Difficulty
Beginner
Equipment
None
Sets & reps
2 sets of 8-10 reps per side

Target muscles

  • Obliques
  • Quadratus Lumborum

Also works

  • Latissimus Dorsi
  • Intercostals
PrimarySecondary
Technique

Step-by-step instructions

  1. Stand tall with feet hip-width apart.
  2. Raise your right arm overhead.
  3. Lean slowly to the left, reaching the right arm over your head.
  4. Let the left arm slide down the side of your leg.
  5. Return to upright and repeat on the other side.

Common mistakes

  • Leaning forward or backward.
  • Bouncing into the stretch.
  • Locking the knees.
  • Holding the breath.

Benefits

  • Stretches the side of the torso.
  • Improves spinal mobility.
  • Relieves stiffness from sitting.
  • Gently engages the obliques.

Standing Side Bends for a Flexible Waist

Side bends stretch the muscles along the sides of your torso, from the obliques to the lats. They are a simple way to loosen up the spine during a warm-up or after hours at a desk.

Stretch Tips:

  • Bend directly to the side, not forward.
  • Reach long through the fingertips.
  • Breathe deeply into the stretch.
Keep going

More Mobility & Stretching exercises

Arm Circles

Arm circles rotate straight arms in small circles to warm up the shoulders and build shoulder endurance.

Beginner Deltoids

Standing Toe Touches

Standing toe touches reach from overhead down to the toes to stretch the hamstrings and lower back.

Beginner Hamstrings

Cobra Stretch

The cobra stretch presses the chest up from the floor to stretch the abs and hip flexors and mobilise the spine.

Beginner Rectus Abdominis
Train Standing Side Bends in 3D