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Barbell Side Bent II animation

How to do the Barbell Side Bent II

CoreAbsBarbellIntermediate

The barbell side bent is a direct lateral flexion challenge that builds thick, functional obliques capable of stabilizing your spine under serious load. Master this movement and you forge the kind of core strength that transfers to every heavy lift in your program.

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Muscles worked

Primary
AbdominalsObliques
Secondary
Hip flexorsLower back

Step-by-step

  1. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, barbell resting across your upper traps, and brace your core before any movement begins.
  2. Initiate the bend by contracting the obliques on one side, lowering your torso laterally as far as your mobility allows without rotating or leaning forward.
  3. Pause briefly at the bottom of the range, then drive back to vertical by forcefully contracting the opposite oblique to pull you upright.
  4. Complete all reps on one side before switching, keeping the bar path strictly in the frontal plane throughout every rep.

Common mistakes

  • Rotating the torso forward during the bend, which shifts stress off the obliques and onto the lower back — keep your chest square and facing forward at all times.
  • Using momentum to swing the weight down and bounce back up, which removes tension from the target muscle — slow each rep to a 2-second descent and a controlled return.
  • Allowing the non-working side to passively slump under the bar weight instead of actively controlling the descent — treat the lowering phase as loaded eccentric work for the obliques.

Pro tip — On the way back up, think about pulling your bottom rib toward your hip on the working side rather than just standing tall — this cue maximizes oblique recruitment through the full range of contraction.

Sets & reps by goal

Build muscle3–4 sets × 10–15 reps
Get stronger3–4 sets × 6–8 reps
Lose fat / tone3 sets × 12–20 reps

Rest: 60–90 sec between sets.

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