Dumbbell Side Bend

How to do it

1. Stand tall with a dumbbell in your right hand and your left hand placed lightly on your hip.
2. Set your feet shoulder-width apart with knees soft and core lightly braced.
3. Keep your chest up and gaze forward through the entire set.
4. Bend slowly to the right side, lowering the dumbbell along your thigh until you feel a stretch in the left obliques.
5. Pause briefly at the bottom of the bend without rotating the torso forward or back.
6. Pull yourself back up to a fully upright position by squeezing the left obliques, then repeat for reps before switching sides.

Common mistakes

• Bending forward instead of straight to the side, which loads the lower back instead of the obliques.
• Using too heavy a dumbbell and using momentum, which kills the contraction and risks lower-back strain.
• Holding a dumbbell in both hands at once, which cancels out the side load and removes the training effect.
• Rushing through reps and skipping the squeeze at the top, where the obliques shorten the most.