Barbell Side Bend

beginner · core_flexion

Setup

Take a very light barbell from a squat rack and rest it across your upper back as for a squat, both hands holding it steady, then step back and set your feet shoulder-width apart.

Execution

Stand tall, brace your core lightly, and keep your eyes forward for the whole set.
Inhale and bend your torso to the right from the waist, keeping your shoulders and hips square, without rotating.
Go down until you feel a stretch along your left side, without forcing it further.
Exhale and use the left-side obliques, the side that was just stretched, to pull yourself back upright.
Complete the reps to the right, then switch to bending left; when both sides are done, walk back into the rack and set the bar on the hooks.

Breathing

Inhale as you bend to the side, exhale as you pull back upright; do not hold your breath and keep the load very light. If you have high blood pressure, heart disease or a hernia, never hold your breath and keep the load very light; if you have a disc herniation or you are pregnant, skip this exercise.

Quick cues

Shoulders and hips stay square.
No twisting, just bending sideways.
Bend to a stretch, not to pain.
Keep the load very light here.

Common faults

Fault: Rotating the hips and shoulders forward while bending
Fix: Keep the shoulders and hips square, as if pinned between two panes of glass.
Fault: Using too much weight and losing control of the range
Fix: Drop to a very light load — this is an accessory move, not a main lift.
Fault: Bending the knees and hips along with the torso instead of just the upper body
Fix: Keep the legs and hips still and let only the torso above the waist move.
Fault: Bending fast and using momentum to snap back up
Fix: Count 2 seconds each direction so the oblique works through the whole rep.

Equipment

barbell, squat_rack

Muscle groups

core, back