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Waist Exercise · Body Weight

45° Side Bend exercise animation

45° Side Bend

Category
Waist
Equipment
Body Weight
Target
Abs

A 45-degree side bend targets the obliques through lateral flexion, a plane most core work skips entirely since squats, presses, and crunches all move front-to-back. Keep the motion controlled and avoid using momentum to swing the weight, since that shifts load off the obliques and onto the lower back. It pairs well with rotational core work like twists to cover the sides the rest of your program misses.

How to Do the 45° Side Bend

  1. Take a standing position with your feet shoulder-width apart, letting your arms hang straight down at your sides.
  2. With your back straight and core braced, slowly tilt your torso to one side, sliding your hand down toward your knee.
  3. Hold briefly at the bottom of the bend, then rise back up under control to the starting position.
  4. Perform the same bend on the opposite side.
  5. Keep alternating sides until you've completed your target number of reps.

Calorie Burn & Set Tracker

Sets
3
Reps / Set
10
Active Timer
00:00
Estimated Burn
0 kcal

Muscles Worked

The 45° Side Bend primarily targets the Abs, with Obliques as the primary synergist muscle group.

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Equipment Alternatives

Don't have body weight? These target the same abs with different equipment.

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FAQ

What muscles does the 45° Side Bend work?
The 45° Side Bend primarily targets the abs, with the obliques as the main supporting muscle group.
What equipment do I need for the 45° Side Bend?
The 45° Side Bend is done with no equipment — just body weight.
What's a good alternative to the 45° Side Bend?
If you don't have access to the space or setup it needs, the Assisted Hanging Knee Raise targets the same abs using assisted instead.