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Side-Bend Crunches

Muscles worked

  • Quadratus Lumborum
  • Obliques
  • Lower Back

Form Cues

  • Stand with feet hip-width apart, keeping your posture tall and aligned.

  • Engage your core and oblique muscles to initiate a controlled side bend at the waist.

  • Lower one hand down toward the side of your knee while keeping the opposite hand behind your head or reaching overhead.

  • Focus on shortening the distance between the ribcage and the hip on the bending side.

  • Pause briefly at the bottom of the movement, feeling the stretch and contraction in the obliques and QL.

  • Return to the starting position with control, maintaining tension in the side muscles.

  • Avoid leaning forward or backward — keep the movement strictly lateral.

  • Alternate sides evenly, performing the desired number of repetitions on each side.

Progressions

  1. 01

    Standing Side-Bend

    • Stand with feet hip-width apart, arms relaxed by your sides.

    • Slowly bend sideways at the waist, bringing one hand down toward the side of your knee.

    • Keep your torso straight and avoid leaning forward or backward as you perform the side bend.

    • Pause briefly at the bottom, feeling the stretch and engagement in your QL, then return to the starting position.

    • Repeat for the desired reps, alternating sides, focusing on controlled movement and engaging the side muscles.

  2. 02

    Arms-Up Standing Side-Bend

    • Stand with feet hip-width apart, placing one hand behind your head while the other arm remains by your side.

    • Bend sideways at the waist, lowering the free arm towards your knee while keeping the hand behind your head.

    • Feel the stretch and engagement in your QL as you bend, maintaining a controlled, smooth motion.

    • Pause briefly at the bottom, then return to the starting position.

    • Repeat for the desired reps on each side, focusing on keeping your torso straight and avoiding any forward or backward lean.

  3. 03

    Loaded Standing Side-Bend

    Dumbbells or Kettlebells
    Dumbbells or Kettlebells

    • Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding a weight (dumbbell or kettlebell) in one hand by your side.

    • Bend sideways at the waist, lowering the weight toward your knee while keeping your torso straight.

    • Feel the stretch in your QL on the opposite side and engage your core as you return to the starting position.

    • Pause briefly at the top, then repeat for the desired reps on each side, focusing on maintaining control and engaging your side muscles throughout the movement.

Common mistakes

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