Side Jackknife
Trains the Abs and Obliques.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Mechanic
- Isolation
- Force
- Pull
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
- Lie on your side with your legs straight and stacked, lower arm across your body.
- Put your top hand behind your head with the elbow pointing up.
- Brace your stomach.
- Lift your top leg and your torso toward each other, bending sideways at the waist.
- Stop where the side of the trunk stops shortening, then hold briefly.
- Lower under control, then finish the side before swapping.
Common mistakes
- Rolling onto your back as you lift. Staying square on your side is what keeps the movement lateral; rolling turns it into a crunch.
- Pulling on the head with the top hand. The hand rests behind the head and the neck stays in line with the spine.
- Lifting only the leg. The torso and the leg travel toward each other; a leg raise on your side is a different, easier movement.
- Expecting a long range. Lateral flexion travels a short distance, and reaching further means the spine is rotating instead.