Strength
Flexión lateral
A controlled lateral movement designed to strengthen the obliques and improve spinal stability.
How to perform.
Follow the sequence — setup is half the lift.
Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in one hand with your palm facing your body.
Place your free hand behind your head or flat against your thigh to maintain a neutral spine.
Bending only at the waist, lower the dumbbell toward your knee while keeping your hips stationary.
Pause for a moment at the bottom of the movement when you feel a stretch in the opposite side of your torso.
Use your obliques to pull your torso back to the starting upright position.
Complete the desired number of repetitions on one side before switching the dumbbell to the other hand.
Common mistakes.
Fix these first — they cost reps, kilos, and joints.
- Using a dumbbell in both hands simultaneously which negates the resistance on the obliques.
- Leaning forward or backward instead of maintaining a strictly lateral plane of motion.
- Rotating the hips or shoulders during the descent.
- Using momentum or swinging the weight instead of lifting with controlled muscle tension.
Muscles worked.
The primary movers do the work; the stabilizers keep the path honest.