Core
Standing side crunch
- Kit
- No kit
- Works
- obliques
- Also
- hip flexors · side glutes · calves
- Sides
- Left and right
The standing side crunch is an upright oblique movement: you lift one knee out to the side and drive the same elbow down to meet it, shortening the side of your waist. It needs no floor space and no equipment, so it suits circuits where you want to keep working the trunk without lying down. It also asks for balance on the standing leg, which makes it a useful choice early in a session.
Form
How to do standing side crunch
- 1Stand tall with your feet under your hips, put your right hand behind your head and let your left arm hang or rest on your hip.
- 2Shift your weight onto your left leg and set your standing foot flat, knee soft, eyes on a fixed point ahead.
- 3Bend sideways to the right as you lift your right knee out to the side, bringing elbow and knee toward each other. Breathe out as you crunch.
- 4Return under control: lower the foot to the floor and stand fully upright so the side of your waist lengthens again, breathing in on the way back.
- 5Keep a steady rhythm for the whole effort, then repeat on the other side so both sides get the same work.
Watch for
Common mistakes
Leaning forward and folding at the hips instead of bending sideways.
Fix: Keep your chest facing the wall in front of you and travel your shoulder straight down toward your hip.
Yanking on the head with the hand behind it.
Fix: Rest the fingers lightly on the skull and let the waist do the pulling, not the arm.
Rushing through a short range so the side never really shortens.
Fix: Slow down, pause for a moment where elbow and knee are closest, then stand all the way tall.
Variations
Easier and harder
Sessions
Put it in a workout
None of the fixed workouts uses it. Pick a workout for your kit, or start today's session on /gym.